Which to use
“helft” and “hilfst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,042
- “helft” frequency rank
- #26,913
- “hilfst” frequency rank
- 35955
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | helft | hilfst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Plural Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs helfen | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs helfen |
Where the eye mixes helft and hilfst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. helft runs 5 letters (CVCCC) against hilfst's 6 (CVCCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses helft with hilfst
A purely visual mix-up. helft ([hɛlft]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35955, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
helft is recorded at frequency rank #9,042, classified as averb, pronounced [hɛlft]. 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 35955, this pair ranks #1,627,477 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of helft vs hilfst
Shared letters: fhlt. Private to "helft": e. Private to "hilfst": is.
"helft" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "hilfst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "helft" and "hilfst" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "helft" vs "hilfst" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "helft" 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 #1,627,477 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "helft" 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 #1,627,477 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.