behalten

\bəˈhaltn̩\

/\bəˈhaltn̩\/ verb

The verdict

“behalten” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Garder, conserver.

Corpus desk

Index FR-behalten · behalten · French

behalten · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for behalten
PropertyValue
Headwordbehalten
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\bəˈhaltn̩\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « behalten » en français

behaltensiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

behalten is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \bəˈhaltn̩\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

behalten has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is behalten, spelled B-E-H-A-L-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Garder, conserver.
  2. 2
    Retenir, dans le sens de garder en mémoire, se souvenir.
  3. 3
    etwas für sich behalten: Ne dire quelque chose à personne.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ich behalte das Geld.
  2. Ich behalte dich im Gedächtnis.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "behalten"?
"behalten" is spelled B-E-H-A-L-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \bəˈhaltn̩\.
What does "behalten" mean?
As a verb, "behalten" means: Garder, conserver.
How do you pronounce "behalten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "behalten" is \bəˈhaltn̩\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "behalten" come from?
"behalten" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list