Which to use
“abgeben” and “ablesen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,556
- “abgeben” frequency rank
- #14,225
- “ablesen” frequency rank
- 17781
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abgeben | ablesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem etwas geben, der es haben soll oder verlangt | einen Wert festhalten |
Where the eye mixes abgeben and ablesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. abgeben and ablesen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between abgeben and ablesen
A purely visual mix-up. abgeben ([ˈapˌɡeːbn̩]) and ablesen ([ˈapˌleːzn̩]) 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 17781, 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]. ablesen is at rank #14,225, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌleːzn̩].
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 17781, this pair ranks #1,924,335 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abgeben vs ablesen
Shared letters: aben. Private to "abgeben": g. Private to "ablesen": ls.
"abgeben" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "ablesen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abgeben" and "ablesen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "abgeben" vs "ablesen" - 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 "abgeben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ablesen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,924,335 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abgeben" and "ablesen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ablesen vs Alleen". 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 #1,924,335 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.