Which to use
“abfragen” and “abwägen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,414
- “abfragen” frequency rank
- #25,872
- “abwägen” frequency rank
- 59286
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abfragen | abwägen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Prüfungsfragen stellen | vergleichend prüfen |
Where the eye mixes abfragen and abwägen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. abfragen runs 8 letters (VCCCVCVC) against abwägen's 7 (VCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: abfragen vs abwägen
A purely visual mix-up. abfragen ([ˈapˌfʁaːɡn̩]) and abwägen ([ˈapˌvɛːɡn̩]) 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 59286, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abfragen is recorded at frequency rank #33,414, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌfʁaːɡn̩]. abwägen is at rank #25,872, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌvɛːɡn̩].
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 59286, this pair ranks #830,195 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abfragen vs abwägen
Shared letters: abegn. Private to "abfragen": fr. Private to "abwägen": wä.
"abfragen" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC · "abwägen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abfragen ← abbfragen · abfargen · abffragen · abfraegn · abfragenn · abfraggen · abfragne · abfrgaen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abfragen" for "abwägen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "abfragen" vs "abwägen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "abfragen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abwägen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #830,195 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abfragen" and "abwägen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abfragen vs abtragen". 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 #830,195 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.