Which to use
“hältst” and “hilfst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,218
- “hältst” frequency rank
- #26,913
- “hilfst” frequency rank
- 36131
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hältst | hilfst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs halten | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs helfen |
Where the eye mixes hältst and hilfst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. hältst and hilfst follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses hältst with hilfst
A purely visual mix-up. hältst ([hɛlt͡st]) and hilfst ([hɪlfst]) 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 36131, 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]. hilfst is at rank #26,913, tagged as averb, pronounced [hɪlfst].
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 36131, this pair ranks #1,623,170 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hältst vs hilfst
Shared letters: hlst. Private to "hältst": ä. Private to "hilfst": fi.
"hältst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC · "hilfst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- hilfst ← hhilfst · hiflst · hilffst · hilfsst · hilfstt · hilfts · hillfst · hilsft
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "hältst" for "hilfst" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "hältst" or "hilfst" show up more?
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 "hältst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hilfst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,623,170 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hältst" and "hilfst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hilfst vs hoffst". 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 #1,623,170 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.