Which to use
“hold” is an adjective and “hör” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,655
- “hold” frequency rank
- #2,601
- “hör” frequency rank
- 18256
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hold | hör |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sehr zart und hübsch | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hören |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hold and hör apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
hold and hör form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18256, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hold is recorded at frequency rank #15,655, classified as anadj, pronounced [hɔlt]. hör is at rank #2,601, tagged as averb, pronounced [høːɐ̯].
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 18256, this pair ranks #1,919,976 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hold" and "hör" be used interchangeably?
Remembering hold vs hör
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “hold”; for a verb, it's “hör”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hold” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable