holdevsholdenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,352
“holde” frequency rank
#27,353
“holden” frequency rank
72705
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature holde holden
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs hold Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs hold

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
holde
6 ch
holden

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. holde ([ˈhɔldə]) and holden ([ˈhɔldn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “holde” sits inside “holden”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72705, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

holde is recorded at frequency rank #45,352, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɔldə]. holden is at rank #27,353, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɔldn̩].

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 72705, this pair ranks #380,737 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of holde vs holden

Shared letters: dehlo. Private to "holde": -. Private to "holden": n.

"holde" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "holden" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • holdehholde · hlode · hodle · holdde · holed · hollde · ohlde
  • holdenhholden · hloden · hodlen · holdden · holdenn · holdne · holedn · hollden

Frequency comparison

holde#45,352
holden#27,353

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "holde" and "holden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɔldə] versus [ˈhɔldn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "holde" or "holden"?
"holden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,353 in our German list, against #45,352 for "holde". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering holde vs holden

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 “holde” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list