Which to use
“abhauen” and “abwägen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,868
- “abhauen” frequency rank
- #25,872
- “abwägen” frequency rank
- 51740
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abhauen | abwägen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas abschlagen, abtrennen (starke und schwache Konjugation: hieb/haute ab und abgehauen/abgehaut) | vergleichend prüfen |
Where the eye mixes abhauen and abwägen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. abhauen (VCCVVVC) and abwägen (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 abwägen
A purely visual mix-up. abhauen ([ˈapˌhaʊ̯ən]) and abwägen ([ˈapˌvɛːɡn̩]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51740, 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]. abwägen is at rank #25,872, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌvɛːɡn̩].
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 51740, this pair ranks #1,123,843 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abhauen vs abwägen
Shared letters: aben. Private to "abhauen": hu. Private to "abwägen": gwä.
"abhauen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVVC · "abwägen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abhauen ← abahuen · abbhauen · abhaeun · abhauenn · abhaune · abhhauen · abhuaen · ahbauen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abhauen" and "abwägen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abhauen" or "abwägen"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "abhauen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abwägen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,123,843 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abhauen" and "abwägen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abtragen vs abwägen". 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 #1,123,843 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.