Which to use
“hältst” and “holst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,218
- “hältst” frequency rank
- #16,732
- “holst” frequency rank
- 25950
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hältst | holst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs halten | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs holen |
Where the eye mixes hältst and holst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. hältst runs 6 letters (CVCCCC) against holst's 5 (CVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses hältst with holst
A purely visual mix-up. hältst ([hɛlt͡st]) and holst ([hoːlst]) 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 25950, 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]. holst is at rank #16,732, tagged as averb, pronounced [hoːlst].
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 25950, this pair ranks #1,825,542 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hältst vs holst
Shared letters: hlst. Private to "hältst": ä. Private to "holst": o.
"hältst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC · "holst" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- holst ← hholst · hlost · hollst · holsst · holstt · holts · hoslt · ohlst
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "hältst" for "holst" ever safe?
Which is more common, "hältst" or "holst"?
Useful next steps
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 "holst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,825,542 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hältst" and "holst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "holst vs Homs". 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 #1,825,542 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.