Which to use
“herhalten” and “hinhalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,174
- “herhalten” frequency rank
- #34,171
- “hinhalten” frequency rank
- 57345
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | herhalten | hinhalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (für etwas) dienen, verantwortlich sein | etwas (in den Händen, freihändig) so vor jemandem positionieren, dass dieser es sehen oder greifen kann |
Where the eye mixes herhalten and hinhalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. herhalten and hinhalten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses herhalten with hinhalten
A purely visual mix-up. herhalten ([ˈheːɐ̯ˌhaltn̩]) and hinhalten ([ˈhɪnˌhaltn̩]) 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 57345, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
herhalten is recorded at frequency rank #23,174, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈheːɐ̯ˌhaltn̩]. hinhalten is at rank #34,171, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɪnˌhaltn̩].
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 57345, this pair ranks #904,879 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of herhalten vs hinhalten
Shared letters: aehlnt. Private to "herhalten": r. Private to "hinhalten": i.
"herhalten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "hinhalten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "herhalten" for "hinhalten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "herhalten" or "hinhalten" 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 "herhalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hinhalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #904,879 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- 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 #904,879 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.