Which to use
“fernhalten” and “festhalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,332
- “fernhalten” frequency rank
- #5,363
- “festhalten” frequency rank
- 29695
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fernhalten | festhalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich nicht in die Nähe von etwas begeben | so in der Hand halten, dass es ihr nicht entgleitet |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fernhalten and festhalten apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. fernhalten ([ˈfɛʁnˌhaltn̩]) and festhalten ([ˈfɛstˌhaltn̩]) 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 29695, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fernhalten is recorded at frequency rank #24,332, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfɛʁnˌhaltn̩]. festhalten is at rank #5,363, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfɛstˌhaltn̩].
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 29695, this pair ranks #1,761,974 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fernhalten vs festhalten
Shared letters: aefhlnt. Private to "fernhalten": r. Private to "festhalten": s.
"fernhalten" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC · "festhalten" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- fernhalten ← efrnhalten · fenrhalten · ferhnalten · fernahlten · fernhaletn · fernhallten · fernhaltenn · fernhaltne
- festhalten ← efsthalten · feshtalten · fessthalten · festahlten · festhaletn · festhallten · festhaltenn · festhaltne
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fernhalten" and "festhalten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fernhalten" or "festhalten"?
Remembering fernhalten vs festhalten
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fernhalten” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable