vorgehaltenvsVorhaltenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vorgehalten is a verb, Vorhalten is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“vorgehalten” is a verb and “Vorhalten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#27,561
“vorgehalten” frequency rank
#29,411
“Vorhalten” frequency rank
56972
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorgehalten Vorhalten
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs vorhalten Dativ Plural des Substantivs Vorhalt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vorgehalten and Vorhalten apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
vorgehalten
9 ch
Vorhalten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vorgehalten is [ˈfoːɐ̯ɡəˌhaltn̩] while Vorhalten is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌhaltn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56972, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vorgehalten is recorded at frequency rank #27,561, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ɡəˌhaltn̩]. Vorhalten is at rank #29,411, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌhaltn̩].

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 56972, this pair ranks #919,587 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vorgehalten vs Vorhalten

Shared letters: aehlnortv. Private to "vorgehalten": g. Private to "Vorhalten": -.

"vorgehalten" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC  ·  "Vorhalten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vorgehaltenovrgehalten · vogrehalten · voreghalten · vorgeahlten · vorgehaletn · vorgehallten · vorgehaltenn · vorgehaltne
  • Vorhaltenovrhalten · vohralten · vorahlten · vorhaletn · vorhallten · vorhaltenn · vorhaltne · vorhaltten

Frequency comparison

vorgehalten#27,561
Vorhalten#29,411

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vorgehalten" and "Vorhalten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vorgehalten" is a verb and "Vorhalten" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vorgehalten" or "Vorhalten"?
"vorgehalten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,561 in our German list, against #29,411 for "Vorhalten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vorgehalten vs Vorhalten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “vorgehalten”; for a noun, it's “Vorhalten”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vorgehalten” 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