abgerufenvsabwerfenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#10,408
“abgerufen” frequency rank
#27,175
“abwerfen” frequency rank
37583
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abgerufen abwerfen
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs abrufen hinunter werfen, sich einer Sache entledigen

Where the eye mixes abgerufen and abwerfen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. abgerufen runs 9 letters (VCCVCVCVC) against abwerfen's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
abgerufen
8 ch
abwerfen

Look-alike desk: abgerufen vs abwerfen

A purely visual mix-up. abgerufen ([ˈapɡəˌʁuːfn̩]) and abwerfen ([ˈapˌvɛʁfn̩]) 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 37583, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abgerufen is recorded at frequency rank #10,408, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapɡəˌʁuːfn̩]. abwerfen is at rank #27,175, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌvɛʁfn̩].

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 37583, this pair ranks #1,586,394 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of abgerufen vs abwerfen

Shared letters: abefnr. Private to "abgerufen": gu. Private to "abwerfen": w.

"abgerufen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC  ·  "abwerfen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abgerufen ← abbgerufen · abegrufen · abgerfuen · abgerrufen · abgeruefn · abgerufenn · abgeruffen · abgerufne
  • abwerfen ← abbwerfen · abewrfen · abwefren · abwerefn · abwerfenn · abwerffen · abwerfne · abwerrfen

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "abgerufen" for "abwerfen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapɡəˌʁuːfn̩] versus [ˈapˌvɛʁfn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abgerufen" or "abwerfen"?
"abgerufen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,408 in our German list, against #27,175 for "abwerfen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "abgerufen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "abwerfen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,586,394 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "abgerufen" and "abwerfen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abwerfen vs anwerben". 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 #1,586,394 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list