Which to use
“abgelaufen” is an adjective and “ablaufen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,312
- “abgelaufen” frequency rank
- #13,298
- “ablaufen” frequency rank
- 22610
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abgelaufen | ablaufen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | länger gelagert, als das aufgedruckte Verfallsdatum; Verfallsdatum < aktuelles Datum, ein Gültigkeitsdatum überschritten habend | zu laufen beginnen |
Where the eye mixes abgelaufen and ablaufen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abgelaufen runs 10 letters (VCCVCVVCVC) against ablaufen's 8 (VCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abgelaufen with ablaufen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abgelaufen is [ˈapɡəˌlaʊ̯fn̩] while ablaufen is [ˈapˌlaʊ̯fn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22610, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abgelaufen is recorded at frequency rank #9,312, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈapɡəˌlaʊ̯fn̩]. ablaufen is at rank #13,298, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌlaʊ̯fn̩].
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 22610, this pair ranks #1,872,050 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abgelaufen vs ablaufen
Shared letters: abeflnu. Private to "abgelaufen": g. Private to "ablaufen": -.
"abgelaufen" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVVCVC · "ablaufen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abgelaufen ← abbgelaufen · abeglaufen · abgealufen · abgelafuen · abgelauefn · abgelaufenn · abgelauffen · abgelaufne
- ablaufen ← abalufen · abblaufen · ablafuen · ablauefn · ablaufenn · ablauffen · ablaufne · abllaufen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abgelaufen" and "ablaufen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abgelaufen" or "ablaufen"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "abgelaufen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ablaufen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,872,050 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abgelaufen" and "ablaufen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ablaufen vs Anläufe". 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 #1,872,050 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.