Which to use
“aber” is a conjunction and “able” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31
- “aber” frequency rank
- #38,552
- “able” frequency rank
- 38583
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aber | able |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jedoch, dagegen | in der Lage sein; etwas tun können |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set aber and able apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: aber is [ˈaːbɐ] while able is [ˈeɪbl]. 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 (conjunction vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38583, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aber is recorded at frequency rank #31, classified as aconj, pronounced [ˈaːbɐ]. able is at rank #38,552, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈeɪbl].
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 38583, this pair ranks #1,560,133 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aber vs able
Shared letters: abe. Private to "aber": r. Private to "able": l.
"aber" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "able" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aber" and "able" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "aber" or "able"?
Remembering aber vs able
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a conjunction, it's “aber”; for an adjective, it's “able”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “aber” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable