Which to use
“zurückhalten” and “zurückholen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,537
- “zurückhalten” frequency rank
- #25,004
- “zurückholen” frequency rank
- 40541
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurückhalten | zurückholen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden oder etwas nicht gehen lassen | etwas, das seinen Platz/Ort verlassen hat oder weggebracht/weggenommen wurde, wieder dorthin schaffen, wo es herkam |
Where the eye mixes zurückhalten and zurückholen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. zurückhalten runs 12 letters (CVCVCCCVCCVC) against zurückholen's 11 (CVCVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between zurückhalten and zurückholen
A purely visual mix-up. zurückhalten ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌhaltn̩]) and zurückholen ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌhoːlən]) 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 40541, 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]. zurückholen is at rank #25,004, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌhoːlən].
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 40541, this pair ranks #1,505,475 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zurückhalten vs zurückholen
Shared letters: cehklnruzü. Private to "zurückhalten": at. Private to "zurückholen": o.
"zurückhalten" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC · "zurückholen" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zurückhalten" for "zurückholen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "zurückhalten" or "zurückholen"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "zurückhalten" and "zurückholen" 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 "zurückholen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,505,475 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurückhalten" and "zurückholen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurückholen vs zurückzuholen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,505,475 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.