HalsvshältstWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Hals is a noun, hältst is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Hals” is a noun and “hältst” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,830
“Hals” frequency rank
#9,218
“hältst” frequency rank
12048
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Hals hältst
Definition Körperteil, Verbindung von Kopf und Rumpf 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs halten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Hals and hältst apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Hals
6 ch
hältst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Hals is [hals] while hältst is [hɛlt͡st]. 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 12048, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Hals is recorded at frequency rank #2,830, classified as anoun, pronounced [hals]. hältst is at rank #9,218, tagged as averb, pronounced [hɛlt͡st].

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 12048, this pair ranks #1,966,480 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Hals vs hältst

Shared letters: hls. Private to "Hals": a. Private to "hältst": .

"Hals" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "hältst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Halsahls · halls · halss · hasl · hhals · hlas

Frequency comparison

Hals#2,830
hältst#9,218

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Hals" and "hältst" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Hals" is a noun and "hältst" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Hals" or "hältst"?
"Hals" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,830 in our German list, against #9,218 for "hältst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Hals vs hältst

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Hals”; for a verb, it's “hältst”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Hals” 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