AbfuhrvsAbkehrWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#33,415
“Abfuhr” frequency rank
#17,488
“Abkehr” frequency rank
50903
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abfuhr Abkehr
Definition das Wegfahren, Abtransportieren von etwas nicht weiteres Verfolgen einer einmal eingeschlagenen Richtung, Beendigung eines Verhaltens, Distanzierung von einer Person

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Abfuhr
6 ch
Abkehr

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Abfuhr ([ˈapˌfuːɐ̯]) and Abkehr ([ˈapkeːɐ̯]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50903, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Abfuhr is recorded at frequency rank #33,415, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌfuːɐ̯]. Abkehr is at rank #17,488, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapkeːɐ̯].

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 50903, this pair ranks #1,155,946 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Abfuhr vs Abkehr

Shared letters: abhr. Private to "Abfuhr": fu. Private to "Abkehr": ek.

"Abfuhr" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "Abkehr" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Abfuhrabbfuhr · abffuhr · abfhur · abfuhhr · abfuhrr · abfurh · abufhr · afbuhr
  • Abkehrabbkehr · abekhr · abkehhr · abkehrr · abkerh · abkher · abkkehr · akbehr

Frequency comparison

Abfuhr#33,415
Abkehr#17,488

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Abfuhr" and "Abkehr" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌfuːɐ̯] versus [ˈapkeːɐ̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Abfuhr" or "Abkehr"?
"Abkehr" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,488 in our German list, against #33,415 for "Abfuhr". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Abfuhr vs Abkehr

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 “Abfuhr” 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