abgehenvsabziehenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,481
“abgehen” frequency rank
#10,990
“abziehen” frequency rank
31471
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abgehen abziehen
Definition eine bestimmte Stelle, Ort verlassen, weggehen sich entfernen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abgehen and abziehen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
abgehen
8 ch
abziehen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abgehen ([ˈapˌɡeːən]) and abziehen ([ˈapˌt͡siːən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31471, 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]. abziehen is at rank #10,990, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌt͡siːən].

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 31471, this pair ranks #1,727,448 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of abgehen vs abziehen

Shared letters: abehn. Private to "abgehen": g. Private to "abziehen": iz.

"abgehen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "abziehen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abgehenabbgehen · abeghen · abgeehn · abgehenn · abgehhen · abgehne · abggehen · abgheen
  • abziehenabbziehen · abizehen · abzeihen · abzieehn · abziehenn · abziehhen · abziehne · abziheen

Frequency comparison

abgehen#20,481
abziehen#10,990

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abgehen" and "abziehen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌɡeːən] versus [ˈapˌt͡siːən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abgehen" or "abziehen"?
"abziehen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,990 in our German list, against #20,481 for "abgehen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abgehen vs abziehen

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