Which to use
“abhängen” is a verb and “abhängigen” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,026
- “abhängen” frequency rank
- #30,422
- “abhängigen” frequency rank
- 40448
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abhängen | abhängigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zur Bedingung haben | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs abhängig |
Where the eye mixes abhängen and abhängigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abhängen runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against abhängigen's 10 (VCCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abhängen with abhängigen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abhängen is [ˈapˌhɛŋən] while abhängigen is [ˈapˌhɛŋɪɡn̩]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40448, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abhängen is recorded at frequency rank #10,026, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌhɛŋən]. abhängigen is at rank #30,422, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈapˌhɛŋɪɡn̩].
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 40448, this pair ranks #1,508,189 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abhängen vs abhängigen
Shared letters: abeghnä. Private to "abhängen": -. Private to "abhängigen": i.
"abhängen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "abhängigen" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "abhängen" and "abhängigen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "abhängen" vs "abhängigen" - 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 "abhängen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abhängigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,508,189 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abhängen" and "abhängigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abhängige vs abhängigen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,508,189 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.