abdrehenvsabziehenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#37,332
“abdrehen” frequency rank
#10,990
“abziehen” frequency rank
48322
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abdrehen abziehen
Definition etwas mit einer drehenden Bewegung ablösen sich entfernen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abdrehen and abziehen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
abdrehen
8 ch
abziehen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abdrehen ([ˈapˌdʁeːən]) and abziehen ([ˈapˌt͡siːən]) 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 48322, 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]. abziehen is at rank #10,990, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌt͡siːən].

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 48322, this pair ranks #1,252,806 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abdrehen vs abziehen

Shared letters: abehn. Private to "abdrehen": dr. Private to "abziehen": iz.

"abdrehen" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC  ·  "abziehen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abdrehenabbdrehen · abddrehen · abderhen · abdreehn · abdrehenn · abdrehhen · abdrehne · abdrheen
  • abziehenabbziehen · abizehen · abzeihen · abzieehn · abziehenn · abziehhen · abziehne · abziheen

Frequency comparison

abdrehen#37,332
abziehen#10,990

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abdrehen" and "abziehen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌdʁeːən] versus [ˈapˌt͡siːən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abdrehen" or "abziehen"?
"abziehen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,990 in our German list, against #37,332 for "abdrehen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abdrehen vs abziehen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “abdrehen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list