Which to use
“abfangen” is a verb and “Abgänge” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,974
- “abfangen” frequency rank
- #34,496
- “Abgänge” frequency rank
- 63470
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abfangen | Abgänge |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden oder etwas auf seinem Weg aufhalten | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Abgang |
Where the eye mixes abfangen and Abgänge
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. abfangen runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against Abgänge's 7 (VCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abfangen with Abgänge
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abfangen is [ˈapˌfaŋən] while Abgänge is [ˈapˌɡɛŋə]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63470, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abfangen is recorded at frequency rank #28,974, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌfaŋən]. Abgänge is at rank #34,496, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌɡɛŋə].
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 63470, this pair ranks #675,708 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abfangen vs Abgänge
Shared letters: abegn. Private to "abfangen": f. Private to "Abgänge": ä.
"abfangen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "Abgänge" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- abfangen ← abafngen · abbfangen · abfagnen · abfanegn · abfangenn · abfanggen · abfangne · abfanngen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abfangen" for "Abgänge" ever safe?
Which is more common, "abfangen" or "Abgänge"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "abfangen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Abgänge" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #675,708 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abfangen" and "Abgänge" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Abgänge vs Anhänge". 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 #675,708 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.