Which to use
“aalen” is a verb and “allem” is an unknown - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,801
- “aalen” frequency rank
- #239
- “allem” frequency rank
- 12040
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aalen | allem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich ausstrecken, (zum Beispiel im Bett, in der Sonne, am Strand) faulenzen | maskuliner und neutraler Dativ Singular des Indefinitpronomens alle |
Where the eye mixes aalen and allem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. aalen (VVCVC) and allem (VCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses aalen with allem
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: aalen is [ˈaːlən] while allem is [ˈaləm]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs unknown), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12040, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aalen is recorded at frequency rank #11,801, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaːlən]. allem is at rank #239, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [ˈaləm].
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 12040, this pair ranks #1,966,529 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aalen vs allem
Shared letters: ael. Private to "aalen": n. Private to "allem": m.
"aalen" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC · "allem" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "aalen" for "allem" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "aalen" or "allem" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "aalen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "allem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,966,529 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aalen" and "allem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aalen vs Avalon". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,966,529 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.