abhebenvsabholenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,850
“abheben” frequency rank
#5,792
“abholen” frequency rank
18642
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abheben abholen
Definition etwas von etwas anderem, zum Beispiel auch einer Unterlage oder einem Unterteil, herunternehmen von einem Ort nehmen, um es (mit sich) an einen anderen zu bringen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abheben and abholen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
abheben
7 ch
abholen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abheben ([ˈapˌheːbn̩]) and abholen ([ˈapˌhoːlən]) 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 18642, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abheben is recorded at frequency rank #12,850, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌheːbn̩]. abholen is at rank #5,792, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌhoːlən].

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 18642, this pair ranks #1,916,316 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of abheben vs abholen

Shared letters: abehn. Private to "abheben": -. Private to "abholen": lo.

"abheben" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "abholen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abhebenabbheben · abehben · abhbeen · abhebben · abhebenn · abhebne · abheebn · abhheben
  • abholenabbholen · abhholen · abhloen · abhoeln · abholenn · abhollen · abholne · abohlen

Frequency comparison

abheben#12,850
abholen#5,792

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abheben" and "abholen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌheːbn̩] versus [ˈapˌhoːlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abheben" or "abholen"?
"abholen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,792 in our German list, against #12,850 for "abheben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abheben vs abholen

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 “abheben” 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