AbfällevsAnfallWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,475
“Abfälle” frequency rank
#15,022
“Anfall” frequency rank
34497
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abfälle Anfall
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Abfall plötzliches, heftiges Auftreten einer Krankheit

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
Abfälle
6 ch
Anfall

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Abfälle ([ˈapˌfɛlə]) and Anfall ([ˈanˌfal]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34497, 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]. Anfall is at rank #15,022, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌfal].

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 34497, this pair ranks #1,662,043 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Abfälle vs Anfall

Shared letters: afl. Private to "Abfälle": beä. Private to "Anfall": n.

"Abfälle" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV  ·  "Anfall" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Anfallafnall · anafll · anfal · anffall · anflal · annfall · nafall

Frequency comparison

Abfälle#19,475
Anfall#15,022

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Abfälle" and "Anfall" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌfɛlə] versus [ˈanˌfal]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Abfälle" or "Anfall"?
"Anfall" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,022 in our German list, against #19,475 for "Abfälle". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Abfälle vs Anfall

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 “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