AbfällevsabfallenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Abfälle is a noun, abfallen is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Abfälle” is a noun and “abfallen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#19,475
“Abfälle” frequency rank
#36,766
“abfallen” frequency rank
56241
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abfälle abfallen
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Abfall sich von etwas lösen und herunterfallen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
Abfälle
8 ch
abfallen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Abfälle is [ˈapˌfɛlə] while abfallen is [ˈapˌfalən]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56241, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Abfälle is recorded at frequency rank #19,475, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌfɛlə]. abfallen is at rank #36,766, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌfalən].

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 56241, this pair ranks #947,858 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Abfälle vs abfallen

Shared letters: abefl. Private to "Abfälle": ä. Private to "abfallen": n.

"Abfälle" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV  ·  "abfallen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abfallenabafllen · abbfallen · abfaleln · abfalen · abfallenn · abfallne · abffallen · abflalen

Frequency comparison

Abfälle#19,475
abfallen#36,766

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Abfälle" and "abfallen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Abfälle" is a noun and "abfallen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Abfälle" or "abfallen"?
"Abfälle" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,475 in our German list, against #36,766 for "abfallen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Abfälle vs abfallen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Abfälle”; for a verb, it's “abfallen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Abfälle” 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