Which to use
“zurückhalten” is a verb and “zurückhaltende” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,537
- “zurückhalten” frequency rank
- #44,391
- “zurückhaltende” frequency rank
- 59928
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurückhalten | zurückhaltende |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden oder etwas nicht gehen lassen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zurückhaltend |
Where the eye mixes zurückhalten and zurückhaltende
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. zurückhalten runs 12 letters (CVCVCCCVCCVC) against zurückhaltende's 14 (CVCVCCCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between zurückhalten and zurückhaltende
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zurückhalten is [t͡suˈʁʏkˌhaltn̩] while zurückhaltende is [t͡suˈʁʏkˌhaltn̩də]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “zurückhalten” sits inside “zurückhaltende”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59928, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zurückhalten is recorded at frequency rank #15,537, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌhaltn̩]. zurückhaltende is at rank #44,391, tagged as anadj, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌhaltn̩də].
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 59928, this pair ranks #806,127 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zurückhalten vs zurückhaltende
Shared letters: acehklnrtuzü. Private to "zurückhalten": -. Private to "zurückhaltende": d.
"zurückhalten" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC · "zurückhaltende" · 14 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zurückhalten" and "zurückhaltende" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "zurückhalten" or "zurückhaltende" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "zurückhalten" and "zurückhaltende" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückhalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückhaltende" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #806,127 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurückhalten" and "zurückhaltende" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurückhaltende vs zurückhaltender". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #806,127 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.