festhalten

[ˈfɛstˌhaltn̩]

/[ˈfɛstˌhaltn̩]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“festhalten” has 16 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #5,363. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,363
frequency rank, German
3,474
“F” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - so in der Hand halten, dass es ihr nicht entgleitet

Corpus desk

Index DE-festhalten · festhalten · German

festhalten · rank #5,363 · 16 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,363
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,474
  • PHOTO-FINISH fehlte

Nearest frequency peer: fehlte (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “festhalten”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “festhalten” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

festhalten vs festzuhalten
83% similar
festhalten vs festhält
70% similar
festhalten vs fernhalten
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for festhalten
PropertyValue
Headwordfesthalten
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈfɛstˌhaltn̩]
Letters10
Frequency rank#5,363
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “festhalten” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).festhalten lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around festhalten (IPA [ˈfɛstˌhaltn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #5,363 among 3,474 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for festhalten, with forms such as "efsthalten", "feshtalten", and "fessthalten". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "festzuhalten", "festhält", "fernhalten", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is festhalten, spelled F-E-S-T-H-A-L-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    so in der Hand halten, dass es ihr nicht entgleitet
  2. 2
    deutlich erwähnen, damit es nicht vergessen wird
  3. 3
    in seiner Bewegungsfreiheit einschränken
  4. 4
    schriftlich niederlegen
  5. 5
    auf ein Speichermedium aufzeichnen
  6. 6
    ein Konzept beibehalten
  7. 7
    etwas als Stütze greifen, damit man nicht stürzt

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how festhalten appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Ich hielt das Buch fest.
  2. Ich möchte festhalten, dass es sich hierbei um eine erhebliche Straftat handelt.

This word in other languages

fasten(English)agarrar(Español)tenir(Français)gravar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • efsthalten
  • feshtalten
  • fessthalten
  • festahlten
  • festhaletn
  • festhallten
  • festhaltenn
  • festhaltne
  • festhaltten
  • festhatlen
  • festhhalten
  • festhlaten
  • festthalten
  • fetshalten
  • ffesthalten
  • fsethalten

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of festhalten - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

efsthalten2feshtalten2fessthalten1festahlten2festhaletn2festhallten1festhaltenn1festhaltne2
Edit distance from "festhalten"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "festhalten"?
"festhalten" is spelled F-E-S-T-H-A-L-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈfɛstˌhaltn̩].
What does "festhalten" mean?
As a verb, "festhalten" means: so in der Hand halten, dass es ihr nicht entgleitet
What words are commonly confused with "festhalten"?
"festhalten" is commonly confused with "festzuhalten", "festhält", "fernhalten". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "festhalten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "festhalten" is [ˈfɛstˌhaltn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "festhalten" come from?
"festhalten" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "festhalten", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

erhebliche#5,359Einzelfall#5,354Handlungen#5,375beinhaltet#5,345

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

hingewiesen16 variantsBedürfnisse16 variantsverschoben16 variantstraditionell16 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "festhalten". Here's where to go from here.

  • "festhalten" maps to 4 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "festzuhalten". View pair
  • 16 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #5,363 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "F" letter cohort. F–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list