AbfuhrvsAbwehrWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#33,415
“Abfuhr” frequency rank
#6,138
“Abwehr” frequency rank
39553
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abfuhr Abwehr
Definition das Wegfahren, Abtransportieren von etwas Maßnahme, um einen Angriff oder dessen beabsichtigte Auswirkung zu stoppen

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Abfuhr
6 ch
Abwehr

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Abfuhr ([ˈapˌfuːɐ̯]) and Abwehr ([ˈapˌveːɐ̯]) 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 39553, 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]. Abwehr is at rank #6,138, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌveːɐ̯].

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 39553, this pair ranks #1,533,584 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Abfuhr vs Abwehr

Shared letters: abhr. Private to "Abfuhr": fu. Private to "Abwehr": ew.

"Abfuhr" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "Abwehr" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Abfuhrabbfuhr · abffuhr · abfhur · abfuhhr · abfuhrr · abfurh · abufhr · afbuhr
  • Abwehrabbwehr · abewhr · abwehhr · abwehrr · abwerh · abwher · abwwehr · awbehr

Frequency comparison

Abfuhr#33,415
Abwehr#6,138

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Abfuhr" and "Abwehr" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌfuːɐ̯] versus [ˈapˌveːɐ̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Abfuhr" or "Abwehr"?
"Abwehr" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,138 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 Abwehr

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