halten

\ˈhaltn̩\

/\ˈhaltn̩\/ verb

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - (transitif) Tenir, retenir.

Corpus desk

Index FR-halten · halten · French

halten · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" 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 halten
PropertyValue
Headwordhalten
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ˈhaltn̩\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « halten » en français

haltenreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

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

Rare enough to double-check

halten is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \ˈhaltn̩\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 18 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for halten in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is halten, spelled H-A-L-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    (transitif) Tenir, retenir.
  2. 2
    (transitif) Soutenir, supporter.
  3. 3
    (transitif) Maintenir, conserver.
  4. 4
    Tenir (quelque chose) dans une position définie.
  5. 5
    (transitif) Arrêter.
  6. 6
    (transitif) Garder, observer, tenir (une promesse, sa parole).
  7. 7
    (transitif) Entretenir, avoir, Élever.
  8. 8
    (intransitif) Durer, tenir, être solide.
  9. 9
    (transitif) Prononcer, faire.
  10. 10
    (transitif) Défendre.
  11. 11
    (transitif) Considérer, prendre pour quelque chose, regarder comme, considérer comme.
  12. 12
    Penser de.
  13. 13
    Prendre le parti de, soutenir.
  14. 14
    S'arrêter, faire halte.
  15. 15
    Être stable.
  16. 16
    Se tenir.
  17. 17
    Se conformer.
  18. 18
    Sich für etwas halten: Se croire quelque chose.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ein Kind an der Hand halten.
  2. halt den Mund!

Synonyms

Antonyms

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 "halten"?
"halten" is spelled H-A-L-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈhaltn̩\.
What does "halten" mean?
As a verb, "halten" means: (transitif) Tenir, retenir.
How do you pronounce "halten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "halten" is \ˈhaltn̩\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "halten" come from?
"halten" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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