Which to use
“abfällig” and “anfällig” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,440
- “abfällig” frequency rank
- #16,901
- “anfällig” frequency rank
- 63341
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abfällig | anfällig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine ablehnende Haltung zeigend, nur wenig wertschätzend, mit Verachtung | so, dass eine Person oder eine Sache leicht durch etwas beeinflusst oder auch verlockt werden kann |
Where the eye mixes abfällig and anfällig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. abfällig and anfällig follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses abfällig with anfällig
A purely visual mix-up. abfällig ([ˈapˌfɛlɪç]) and anfällig ([ˈanfɛlɪç]) 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 a single letter - b in “abfällig” becomes n in “anfällig”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63341, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abfällig is recorded at frequency rank #46,440, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈapˌfɛlɪç]. anfällig is at rank #16,901, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈanfɛlɪç].
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 63341, this pair ranks #680,150 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abfällig vs anfällig
Shared letters: afgilä. Private to "abfällig": b. Private to "anfällig": n.
"abfällig" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "anfällig" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abfällig" for "anfällig" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "abfällig" or "anfällig" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "abfällig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "anfällig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #680,150 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abfällig" and "anfällig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abfallen vs abfällig". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #680,150 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.