abgebenvsablegenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,556
“abgeben” frequency rank
#9,496
“ablegen” frequency rank
13052
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abgeben ablegen
Definition jemandem etwas geben, der es haben soll oder verlangt fortlegen, niederlegen, irgendwohin legen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abgeben and ablegen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
abgeben
7 ch
ablegen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abgeben ([ˈapˌɡeːbn̩]) and ablegen ([ˈapˌleːɡn̩]) 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 13052, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abgeben is recorded at frequency rank #3,556, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌɡeːbn̩]. ablegen is at rank #9,496, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌleːɡn̩].

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 13052, this pair ranks #1,960,414 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of abgeben vs ablegen

Shared letters: abegn. Private to "abgeben": -. Private to "ablegen": l.

"abgeben" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "ablegen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abgebenabbgeben · abegben · abgbeen · abgebben · abgebenn · abgebne · abgeebn · abggeben
  • ablegenabblegen · abelgen · ableegn · ablegenn · ableggen · ablegne · ablgeen · abllegen

Frequency comparison

abgeben#3,556
ablegen#9,496

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abgeben" and "ablegen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌɡeːbn̩] versus [ˈapˌleːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abgeben" or "ablegen"?
"abgeben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,556 in our German list, against #9,496 for "ablegen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abgeben vs ablegen

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 “abgeben” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list