Which to use
“verhält” and “verhielt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,480
- “verhält” frequency rank
- #30,357
- “verhielt” frequency rank
- 36837
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verhält | verhielt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verhalten | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs verhalten |
Where the eye mixes verhält and verhielt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. verhält runs 7 letters (CVCCVCC) against verhielt's 8 (CVCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses verhält with verhielt
A purely visual mix-up. verhält ([fɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt]) and verhielt ([fɛɐ̯ˈhiːlt]) 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 36837, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verhält is recorded at frequency rank #6,480, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt]. verhielt is at rank #30,357, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈhiːlt].
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 36837, this pair ranks #1,605,460 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verhält vs verhielt
Shared letters: ehlrtv. Private to "verhält": ä. Private to "verhielt": i.
"verhält" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "verhielt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verhielt ← evrhielt · vehrielt · verhhielt · verhiellt · verhieltt · verhietl · verhilet · verihelt
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "verhält" and "verhielt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "verhält" vs "verhielt" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "verhält" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verhielt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,605,460 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verhält" and "verhielt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verhielt vs verhielten". 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 #1,605,460 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.