Which to use
“abgehalten” and “abschalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,502
- “abgehalten” frequency rank
- #8,980
- “abschalten” frequency rank
- 17482
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abgehalten | abschalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs abhalten | ein Gerät oder eine Anlage außer Betrieb setzen, stromlos machen |
Where the eye mixes abgehalten and abschalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abgehalten (VCCVCVCCVC) and abschalten (VCCCCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses abgehalten with abschalten
A purely visual mix-up. abgehalten ([ˈapɡəˌhaltn̩]) and abschalten ([ˈapˌʃaltn̩]) 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 17482, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abgehalten is recorded at frequency rank #8,502, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapɡəˌhaltn̩]. abschalten is at rank #8,980, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌʃaltn̩].
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 17482, this pair ranks #1,926,988 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abgehalten vs abschalten
Shared letters: abehlnt. Private to "abgehalten": g. Private to "abschalten": cs.
"abgehalten" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC · "abschalten" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abgehalten ← abbgehalten · abeghalten · abgeahlten · abgehaletn · abgehallten · abgehaltenn · abgehaltne · abgehaltten
- abschalten ← abbschalten · abcshalten · abscahlten · abscchalten · abschaletn · abschallten · abschaltenn · abschaltne
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abgehalten" for "abschalten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "abgehalten" vs "abschalten" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "abgehalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abschalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,926,988 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abgehalten" and "abschalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abgehalten vs abgespalten". 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 #1,926,988 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.