Which to use
“abdrehen” and “abgehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,332
- “abdrehen” frequency rank
- #20,481
- “abgehen” frequency rank
- 57813
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abdrehen | abgehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas mit einer drehenden Bewegung ablösen | eine bestimmte Stelle, Ort verlassen, weggehen |
Where the eye mixes abdrehen and abgehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. abdrehen runs 8 letters (VCCCVCVC) against abgehen's 7 (VCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abdrehen with abgehen
A purely visual mix-up. abdrehen ([ˈapˌdʁeːən]) and abgehen ([ˈapˌɡeːən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57813, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abdrehen is recorded at frequency rank #37,332, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌdʁeːən]. abgehen is at rank #20,481, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌɡeːən].
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 57813, this pair ranks #886,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abdrehen vs abgehen
Shared letters: abehn. Private to "abdrehen": dr. Private to "abgehen": g.
"abdrehen" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC · "abgehen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abdrehen" and "abgehen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "abdrehen" or "abgehen" show up more?
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 "abdrehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abgehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #886,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abdrehen" and "abgehen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abdrehen vs andrehen". 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 #886,769 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.