Which to use
“halten” and “härte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #395
- “halten” frequency rank
- #9,738
- “härte” frequency rank
- 10133
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | halten | härte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas durch Kraftausübung in Ruhe belassen oder bringen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs härten |
Where the eye mixes halten and härte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between halten and härte
A purely visual mix-up. halten ([ˈhaltn̩]) and härte ([ˈhɛʁtə]) 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 10133, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
halten is recorded at frequency rank #395, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhaltn̩]. härte is at rank #9,738, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛʁtə].
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 10133, this pair ranks #1,976,620 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of halten vs härte
Shared letters: eht. Private to "halten": aln. Private to "härte": rä.
"halten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "härte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- halten ← ahlten · haletn · hallten · haltenn · haltne · haltten · hatlen · hhalten
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "halten" and "härte" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "halten" vs "härte" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "halten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "härte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,976,620 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "halten" and "härte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hähne vs härte". 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 #1,976,620 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.