Which to use
“Erhaltung” and “Erkältung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,039
- “Erhaltung” frequency rank
- #12,699
- “Erkältung” frequency rank
- 19738
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Erhaltung | Erkältung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sicherung des weiteren Fortbestehens | Erkrankung, Infektion der Atemwege (zum Beispiel Husten, Schnupfen, Heiserkeit, Katarrh) |
Where the eye mixes Erhaltung and Erkältung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Erhaltung and Erkältung
A purely visual mix-up. Erhaltung ([ɛɐ̯ˈhaltʊŋ]) and Erkältung ([ɛɐ̯ˈkɛltʊŋ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19738, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Erhaltung is recorded at frequency rank #7,039, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhaltʊŋ]. Erkältung is at rank #12,699, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛltʊŋ].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 19738, this pair ranks #1,905,131 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Erhaltung vs Erkältung
Shared letters: eglnrtu. Private to "Erhaltung": ah. Private to "Erkältung": kä.
"Erhaltung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC · "Erkältung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Erhaltung ← ehraltung · erahltung · erhalltung · erhaltnug · erhalttung · erhaltugn · erhaltungg · erhaltunng
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Erhaltung" for "Erkältung" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Erhaltung" vs "Erkältung" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Erhaltung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Erkältung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,905,131 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Erhaltung" and "Erkältung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erkältung vs Erkältungen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,905,131 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.