hältst vs hast, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#9,218
“hältst” frequency rank: #165
“hast” frequency rank: 9383
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	hältst	hast
Definition	2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs halten	2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs haben

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch

hältst

4 ch

hast

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hältst ([hɛlt͡st]) and hast ([hast]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9383, 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]. hast is at rank #165, tagged as averb, pronounced [hast].

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 9383, this pair ranks #1,980,207 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hältst vs hast

Shared letters: hst. Private to "hältst": lä. Private to "hast": a.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

hast ← ahst · hastt · hhast · hsat

Frequency comparison

hältst#9,218

hast#165

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hältst" and "hast" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([hɛlt͡st] versus [hast]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "hältst" or "hast"?

"hast" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #165 in our German list, against #9,218 for "hältst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering hältst vs hast

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 “hältst” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable