Which to use
“abfahren” and “abwehren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,020
- “abfahren” frequency rank
- #26,288
- “abwehren” frequency rank
- 51308
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abfahren | abwehren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich (fahrend, im Fahrzeug) von einem Ort wegbegeben | etwas oder jemanden zurückschlagen, um auf einen Angriff zu reagieren |
Where the eye mixes abfahren and abwehren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. abfahren and abwehren follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: abfahren vs abwehren
A purely visual mix-up. abfahren ([ˈapˌfaːʁən]) and abwehren ([ˈapˌveːʁən]) 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 51308, 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]. abwehren is at rank #26,288, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌveːʁən].
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 51308, this pair ranks #1,140,426 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abfahren vs abwehren
Shared letters: abehnr. Private to "abfahren": f. Private to "abwehren": w.
"abfahren" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "abwehren" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abfahren" for "abwehren" ever safe?
Which is more common, "abfahren" or "abwehren"?
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 "abwehren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,140,426 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abfahren" and "abwehren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abfahren vs ausfahren". 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 #1,140,426 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.