Which to use
“hale” is a noun and “halten” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #35,821
- “hale” frequency rank
- #395
- “halten” frequency rank
- 36216
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hale | halten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dativ Singular des Substantivs hala | etwas durch Kraftausübung in Ruhe belassen oder bringen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hale and halten apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hale is [ˈɦalɛ] while halten is [ˈhaltn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36216, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hale is recorded at frequency rank #35,821, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɦalɛ]. halten is at rank #395, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhaltn̩].
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 36216, this pair ranks #1,621,174 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hale vs halten
Shared letters: aehl. Private to "hale": -. Private to "halten": nt.
"hale" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "halten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hale" and "halten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hale" or "halten"?
Remembering hale vs halten
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “hale”; for a verb, it's “halten”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hale” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable