Which to use
“abgeben” and “abzugeben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,556
- “abgeben” frequency rank
- #8,018
- “abzugeben” frequency rank
- 11574
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abgeben | abzugeben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem etwas geben, der es haben soll oder verlangt | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abgeben |
Where the eye mixes abgeben and abzugeben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. abgeben runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against abzugeben's 9 (VCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between abgeben and abzugeben
A purely visual mix-up. abgeben ([ˈapˌɡeːbn̩]) and abzugeben ([ˈapt͡suˌɡeːbn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11574, 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]. abzugeben is at rank #8,018, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌɡeːbn̩].
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 11574, this pair ranks #1,969,142 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abgeben vs abzugeben
Shared letters: abegn. Private to "abgeben": -. Private to "abzugeben": uz.
"abgeben" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "abzugeben" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "abgeben" and "abzugeben" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "abgeben" or "abzugeben" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "abgeben" and "abzugeben" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "abgeben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzugeben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,969,142 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abgeben" and "abzugeben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abgeben vs Angeber". 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 #1,969,142 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.