gehaltenenvsgeratenenConfusable pair

Which to use

“gehaltenen” and “geratenen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#16,159
“gehaltenen” frequency rank
#37,536
“geratenen” frequency rank
53695
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gehaltenen geratenen
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gehalten Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs geraten

Where the eye mixes gehaltenen and geratenen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. gehaltenen runs 10 letters (CVCVCCVCVC) against geratenen's 9 (CVCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
gehaltenen
9 ch
geratenen

Why the eye confuses gehaltenen with geratenen

A purely visual mix-up. gehaltenen ([ɡəˈhaltənən]) and geratenen ([ɡəˈʁaːtənən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53695, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gehaltenen is recorded at frequency rank #16,159, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈhaltənən]. geratenen is at rank #37,536, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈʁaːtənən].

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 53695, this pair ranks #1,047,993 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gehaltenen vs geratenen

Shared letters: aegnt. Private to "gehaltenen": hl. Private to "geratenen": r.

"gehaltenen" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC  ·  "geratenen" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gehalteneneghaltenen · geahltenen · gehaletnen · gehalltenen · gehalteenn · gehaltenenn · gehaltenne · gehaltennen
  • geratenenegratenen · geartenen · geraetnen · gerateenn · geratenenn · geratenne · geratennen · geratneen

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "gehaltenen" for "geratenen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈhaltənən] versus [ɡəˈʁaːtənən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gehaltenen" or "geratenen"?
"gehaltenen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,159 in our German list, against #37,536 for "geratenen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "gehaltenen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "geratenen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,047,993 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "gehaltenen" and "geratenen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "geratenen vs getretenen". 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 #1,047,993 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list