Which to use
“abhauen” and “abhören” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,868
- “abhauen” frequency rank
- #27,172
- “abhören” frequency rank
- 53040
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abhauen | abhören |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas abschlagen, abtrennen (starke und schwache Konjugation: hieb/haute ab und abgehauen/abgehaut) | Gelerntes aufsagen lassen und dadurch den Erfolg kontrollieren |
Where the eye mixes abhauen and abhören
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. abhauen (VCCVVVC) and abhören (VCCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses abhauen with abhören
A purely visual mix-up. abhauen ([ˈapˌhaʊ̯ən]) and abhören ([ˈapˌhøːʁən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53040, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abhauen is recorded at frequency rank #25,868, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌhaʊ̯ən]. abhören is at rank #27,172, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌhøːʁən].
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 53040, this pair ranks #1,073,425 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abhauen vs abhören
Shared letters: abehn. Private to "abhauen": u. Private to "abhören": rö.
"abhauen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVVC · "abhören" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abhauen ← abahuen · abbhauen · abhaeun · abhauenn · abhaune · abhhauen · abhuaen · ahbauen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abhauen" for "abhören" ever safe?
Which is more common, "abhauen" or "abhören"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "abhauen" and "abhören" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "abhauen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abhören" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,073,425 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abhauen" and "abhören" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abhören vs Azoren". 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 #1,073,425 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.