Which to use
“abgelehnt” is an adjective and “ablehnt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,350
- “abgelehnt” frequency rank
- #16,893
- “ablehnt” frequency rank
- 20243
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abgelehnt | ablehnt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zurückgewiesen, nicht genehmigt | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs ablehnen |
Where the eye mixes abgelehnt and ablehnt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. abgelehnt runs 9 letters (VCCVCVCCC) against ablehnt's 7 (VCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abgelehnt with ablehnt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abgelehnt is [ˈapɡəˌleːnt] while ablehnt is [ˈapˌleːnt]. 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 20243, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abgelehnt is recorded at frequency rank #3,350, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈapɡəˌleːnt]. ablehnt is at rank #16,893, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌleːnt].
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 20243, this pair ranks #1,899,786 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abgelehnt vs ablehnt
Shared letters: abehlnt. Private to "abgelehnt": g. Private to "ablehnt": -.
"abgelehnt" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCCC · "ablehnt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abgelehnt" for "ablehnt" ever safe?
Frequency check: "abgelehnt" vs "ablehnt" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "abgelehnt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ablehnt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,899,786 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abgelehnt" and "ablehnt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ablehnt vs ablehnten". 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 #1,899,786 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.