haltevshältstWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,390
“halte” frequency rank
#9,218
“hältst” frequency rank
10608
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature halte hältst
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs halten 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs halten

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
halte
6 ch
hältst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. halte ([ˈhaltə]) and hältst ([hɛlt͡st]) 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 10608, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

halte is recorded at frequency rank #1,390, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhaltə]. 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 10608, this pair ranks #1,974,289 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of halte vs hältst

Shared letters: hlt. Private to "halte": ae. Private to "hältst": .

"halte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "hältst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • halteahlte · halet · hallte · haltte · hatle · hhalte · hlate

Frequency comparison

halte#1,390
hältst#9,218

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "halte" and "hältst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhaltə] versus [hɛlt͡st]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "halte" or "hältst"?
"halte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,390 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 halte vs hältst

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 “halte” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list