hageltvshieltWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#42,553
“hagelt” frequency rank
#1,392
“hielt” frequency rank
43945
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hagelt hielt
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hageln 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs halten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hagelt and hielt apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
hagelt
5 ch
hielt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hagelt ([ˈhaːɡl̩t]) and hielt ([hiːlt]) 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 43945, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hagelt is recorded at frequency rank #42,553, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhaːɡl̩t]. hielt is at rank #1,392, tagged as averb, pronounced [hiːlt].

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 43945, this pair ranks #1,402,035 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hagelt vs hielt

Shared letters: ehlt. Private to "hagelt": ag. Private to "hielt": i.

"hagelt" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "hielt" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hageltahgelt · haeglt · hagellt · hageltt · hagetl · haggelt · haglet · hgaelt
  • hielthhielt · hiellt · hieltt · hietl · hilet · ihelt

Frequency comparison

hagelt#42,553
hielt#1,392

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hagelt" and "hielt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhaːɡl̩t] versus [hiːlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hagelt" or "hielt"?
"hielt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,392 in our German list, against #42,553 for "hagelt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering hagelt vs hielt

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 “hagelt” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list