hilfstvshilftWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“hilfst” and “hilft” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#26,913
“hilfst” frequency rank
#994
“hilft” frequency rank
27907
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hilfst hilft
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs helfen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs helfen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hilfst and hilft apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
hilfst
5 ch
hilft

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hilfst ([hɪlfst]) and hilft ([hɪlft]) 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 27907, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hilfst is recorded at frequency rank #26,913, classified as averb, pronounced [hɪlfst]. hilft is at rank #994, tagged as averb, pronounced [hɪlft].

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 27907, this pair ranks #1,793,848 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hilfst vs hilft

Shared letters: fhilt. Private to "hilfst": s. Private to "hilft": -.

"hilfst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC  ·  "hilft" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hilfsthhilfst · hiflst · hilffst · hilfsst · hilfstt · hilfts · hillfst · hilsft
  • hilfthhilft · hiflt · hilfft · hilftt · hillft · hiltf · hlift · ihlft

Frequency comparison

hilfst#26,913
hilft#994

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hilfst" and "hilft" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([hɪlfst] versus [hɪlft]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hilfst" or "hilft"?
"hilft" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #994 in our German list, against #26,913 for "hilfst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering hilfst vs hilft

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 “hilfst” 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