hältstvshängstConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#9,218
“hältst” frequency rank
#30,123
“hängst” frequency rank
39341
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hältst hängst
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs halten 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hängen

Where the eye mixes hältst and hängst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. hältst and hängst follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

6 ch
hältst
6 ch
hängst

Visual trap between hältst and hängst

A purely visual mix-up. hältst ([hɛlt͡st]) and hängst ([hɛŋst]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39341, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hältst is recorded at frequency rank #9,218, classified as averb, pronounced [hɛlt͡st]. hängst is at rank #30,123, tagged as averb, pronounced [hɛŋst].

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 39341, this pair ranks #1,539,458 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hältst vs hängst

Shared letters: hstä. Private to "hältst": l. Private to "hängst": gn.

"hältst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC  ·  "hängst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hältst" and "hängst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([hɛlt͡st] versus [hɛŋst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "hältst" vs "hängst" - which ranks higher?
"hältst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,218 in our German list, against #30,123 for "hängst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "hältst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "hängst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,539,458 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "hältst" and "hängst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hängst vs Hengste". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,539,458 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list