zusammenhaltenvszusammenhängenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#25,007
“zusammenhalten” frequency rank
#13,530
“zusammenhängen” frequency rank
38537
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zusammenhalten zusammenhängen
Definition eine untrennbare Einheit bilden seinen Grund in etwas haben; in einer Beziehung zu etwas anderem, Genannten stehen; so miteinander verbunden sein, dass eine wechselseitige Abhängigkeit vorhanden ist

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zusammenhalten and zusammenhängen apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

14 ch
zusammenhalten
14 ch
zusammenhängen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. zusammenhalten ([t͡suˈzamənˌhaltn̩]) and zusammenhängen ([t͡suˈzamənˌhɛŋən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38537, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zusammenhalten is recorded at frequency rank #25,007, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈzamənˌhaltn̩]. zusammenhängen is at rank #13,530, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈzamənˌhɛŋən].

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 38537, this pair ranks #1,561,338 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of zusammenhalten vs zusammenhängen

Shared letters: aehmnsuz. Private to "zusammenhalten": lt. Private to "zusammenhängen": .

"zusammenhalten" · 14 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVCCVC  ·  "zusammenhängen" · 14 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • zusammenhaltenuzsammenhalten · zsuammenhalten · zuasmmenhalten · zusamemnhalten · zusamenhalten · zusammehnalten · zusammenahlten · zusammenhaletn

Frequency comparison

zusammenhalten#25,007
zusammenhängen#13,530

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zusammenhalten" and "zusammenhängen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t͡suˈzamənˌhaltn̩] versus [t͡suˈzamənˌhɛŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "zusammenhalten" or "zusammenhängen"?
"zusammenhängen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,530 in our German list, against #25,007 for "zusammenhalten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering zusammenhalten vs zusammenhängen

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 “zusammenhalten” 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