AbfallvsAbwahlWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,501
“Abfall” frequency rank
#41,003
“Abwahl” frequency rank
49504
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abfall Abwahl
Definition der bei der Verwendung oder Verarbeitung übrig gebliebene Rest (auch im übertragenen Sinn) Wahl, bei der ein anderer Kandidat als der wieder kandidierende Amtsinhaber gewählt wird

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Abfall and Abwahl apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Abfall
6 ch
Abwahl

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Abfall ([ˈapˌfal]) and Abwahl ([ˈapˌvaːl]) 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 49504, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Abfall is recorded at frequency rank #8,501, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌfal]. Abwahl is at rank #41,003, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌvaːl].

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 49504, this pair ranks #1,209,043 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Abfall vs Abwahl

Shared letters: abl. Private to "Abfall": f. Private to "Abwahl": hw.

"Abfall" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "Abwahl" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Abfallabafll · abbfall · abfal · abffall · abflal · afball · bafall
  • Abwahlabawhl · abbwahl · abwahhl · abwahll · abwalh · abwhal · abwwahl · awbahl

Frequency comparison

Abfall#8,501
Abwahl#41,003

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Abfall" and "Abwahl" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌfal] versus [ˈapˌvaːl]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Abfall" or "Abwahl"?
"Abfall" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,501 in our German list, against #41,003 for "Abwahl". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Abfall vs Abwahl

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 “Abfall” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list