hältstvsholstWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hältst and holst apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
hältst
5 ch
holst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • holsthholst · hlost · hollst · holsst · holstt · holts · hoslt · ohlst

Frequency comparison

hältst#9,218
holst#16,732

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hältst" and "holst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([hɛlt͡st] versus [hoːlst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hältst" or "holst"?
"hältst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,218 in our German list, against #16,732 for "holst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hältst vs holst

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list