Which to use
“abfragen” is a verb and “Anfrage” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33,414
- “abfragen” frequency rank
- #3,018
- “Anfrage” frequency rank
- 36432
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abfragen | Anfrage |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Prüfungsfragen stellen | Frage an jemanden, mit der eine Antwort erwartet wird |
Where the eye mixes abfragen and Anfrage
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. abfragen runs 8 letters (VCCCVCVC) against Anfrage's 7 (VCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abfragen with Anfrage
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abfragen is [ˈapˌfʁaːɡn̩] while Anfrage is [ˈanˌfʁaːɡə]. 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 36432, 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]. Anfrage is at rank #3,018, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌfʁaːɡə].
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 36432, this pair ranks #1,615,753 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abfragen vs Anfrage
Shared letters: aefgnr. Private to "abfragen": b. Private to "Anfrage": -.
"abfragen" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC · "Anfrage" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abfragen" and "Anfrage" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abfragen" or "Anfrage"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "abfragen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Anfrage" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,615,753 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abfragen" and "Anfrage" 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 #1,615,753 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.