abgehenvsabgetanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,481
“abgehen” frequency rank
#29,453
“abgetan” frequency rank
49934
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abgehen abgetan
Definition eine bestimmte Stelle, Ort verlassen, weggehen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs abtun

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
abgehen
7 ch
abgetan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abgehen ([ˈapˌɡeːən]) and abgetan ([ˈapɡəˌtaːn]) 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 49934, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abgehen is recorded at frequency rank #20,481, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌɡeːən]. abgetan is at rank #29,453, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapɡəˌtaːn].

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 49934, this pair ranks #1,192,848 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abgehen vs abgetan

Shared letters: abegn. Private to "abgehen": h. Private to "abgetan": t.

"abgehen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "abgetan" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abgehenabbgehen · abeghen · abgeehn · abgehenn · abgehhen · abgehne · abggehen · abgheen
  • abgetanabbgetan · abegtan · abgeatn · abgetann · abgetna · abgettan · abggetan · abgtean

Frequency comparison

abgehen#20,481
abgetan#29,453

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abgehen" and "abgetan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌɡeːən] versus [ˈapɡəˌtaːn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abgehen" or "abgetan"?
"abgehen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,481 in our German list, against #29,453 for "abgetan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abgehen vs abgetan

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 “abgehen” 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