abhängigevsanhängigWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#30,897
“abhängige” frequency rank
#37,356
“anhängig” frequency rank
68253
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abhängige anhängig
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs abhängig Eigenschaft eines Vorgangs nach Befassung einer für den Vorgang entscheidenden Stelle. Bei der Stelle handelt es sich in der Regel um ein Gericht oder eine Behörde gelegentlich jedoch auch um zivile Einrichtungen oder Personen.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abhängige and anhängig apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
abhängige
8 ch
anhängig

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abhängige ([ˈapˌhɛŋɪɡə]) and anhängig ([ˈanhɛŋɪç]) 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 68253, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abhängige is recorded at frequency rank #30,897, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈapˌhɛŋɪɡə]. anhängig is at rank #37,356, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈanhɛŋɪç].

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 68253, this pair ranks #513,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abhängige vs anhängig

Shared letters: aghinä. Private to "abhängige": be. Private to "anhängig": -.

"abhängige" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCV  ·  "anhängig" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

abhängige#30,897
anhängig#37,356

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abhängige" and "anhängig" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌhɛŋɪɡə] versus [ˈanhɛŋɪç]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abhängige" or "anhängig"?
"abhängige" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,897 in our German list, against #37,356 for "anhängig". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abhängige vs anhängig

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 “abhängige” 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