Which to use
“abfahren” is a verb and “Abfahrten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,020
- “abfahren” frequency rank
- #34,492
- “Abfahrten” frequency rank
- 59512
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abfahren | Abfahrten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich (fahrend, im Fahrzeug) von einem Ort wegbegeben | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Abfahrt |
Where the eye mixes abfahren and Abfahrten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abfahren runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against Abfahrten's 9 (VCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between abfahren and Abfahrten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abfahren is [ˈapˌfaːʁən] while Abfahrten is [ˈapˌfaːɐ̯tn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59512, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abfahren is recorded at frequency rank #25,020, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌfaːʁən]. Abfahrten is at rank #34,492, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌfaːɐ̯tn̩].
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 59512, this pair ranks #821,803 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abfahren vs Abfahrten
Shared letters: abefhnr. Private to "abfahren": -. Private to "Abfahrten": t.
"abfahren" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "Abfahrten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abfahren" for "Abfahrten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "abfahren" or "Abfahrten"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "abfahren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Abfahrten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #821,803 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abfahren" and "Abfahrten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Abfahrten vs Ausfahrten". 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 #821,803 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.