AbdankungvsAblenkungConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#45,733
“Abdankung” frequency rank
#11,802
“Ablenkung” frequency rank
57535
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abdankung Ablenkung
Definition der Rücktritt aus einer Funktion, einem Amt, von einem Posten Abweichung von einer Richtung

Where the eye mixes Abdankung and Ablenkung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Abdankung and Ablenkung follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

9 ch
Abdankung
9 ch
Ablenkung

Visual trap between Abdankung and Ablenkung

A purely visual mix-up. Abdankung ([ˈapˌdaŋkʊŋ]) and Ablenkung ([ˈapˌlɛŋkʊŋ]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57535, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Abdankung is recorded at frequency rank #45,733, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌdaŋkʊŋ]. Ablenkung is at rank #11,802, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌlɛŋkʊŋ].

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 57535, this pair ranks #897,683 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Abdankung vs Ablenkung

Shared letters: abgknu. Private to "Abdankung": d. Private to "Ablenkung": el.

"Abdankung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC  ·  "Ablenkung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Abdankung ← abadnkung · abbdankung · abdaknung · abdankkung · abdanknug · abdankugn · abdankungg · abdankunng
  • Ablenkung ← abblenkung · abelnkung · ableknung · ablenkkung · ablenknug · ablenkugn · ablenkungg · ablenkunng

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Abdankung" and "Ablenkung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌdaŋkʊŋ] versus [ˈapˌlɛŋkʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Abdankung" or "Ablenkung"?
"Ablenkung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,802 in our German list, against #45,733 for "Abdankung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Abdankung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Ablenkung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #897,683 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Abdankung" and "Ablenkung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Abdankung vs Abdeckung". 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 #897,683 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list