Which to use
“haften” is a verb and “Hälften” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,504
- “haften” frequency rank
- #27,775
- “Hälften” frequency rank
- 40279
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | haften | Hälften |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an etwas kleben, an etwas festhängen | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Hälfte |
Where the eye mixes haften and Hälften
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses haften with Hälften
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: haften is [ˈhaftn̩] while Hälften is [ˈhɛlftn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40279, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
haften is recorded at frequency rank #12,504, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhaftn̩]. Hälften is at rank #27,775, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɛlftn̩].
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 40279, this pair ranks #1,513,025 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of haften vs Hälften
Shared letters: efhnt. Private to "haften": a. Private to "Hälften": lä.
"haften" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Hälften" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- haften ← ahften · hafetn · hafften · haftenn · haftne · haftten · hatfen · hfaten
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "haften" and "Hälften" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "haften" vs "Hälften" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "haften" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Hälften" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,513,025 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "haften" and "Hälften" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hälften vs Häuten". 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 #1,513,025 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.