Which to use
“helfe” and “hielte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,563
- “helfe” frequency rank
- #44,683
- “hielte” frequency rank
- 54246
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | helfe | hielte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs helfen | 1. Person Singular Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs halten |
Where the eye mixes helfe and hielte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. helfe runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against hielte's 6 (CVVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses helfe with hielte
A purely visual mix-up. helfe ([ˈhɛlfə]) and hielte ([ˈhiːltə]) 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 54246, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
helfe is recorded at frequency rank #9,563, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛlfə]. hielte is at rank #44,683, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhiːltə].
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 54246, this pair ranks #1,026,315 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of helfe vs hielte
Shared letters: ehl. Private to "helfe": f. Private to "hielte": it.
"helfe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "hielte" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "helfe" and "hielte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "helfe" or "hielte"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "helfe" and "hielte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "helfe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hielte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,026,315 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "helfe" and "hielte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hegte vs hielte". 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 #1,026,315 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.