Which to use
“abheben” and “abzuheben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,850
- “abheben” frequency rank
- #38,557
- “abzuheben” frequency rank
- 51407
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abheben | abzuheben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas von etwas anderem, zum Beispiel auch einer Unterlage oder einem Unterteil, herunternehmen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abheben |
Where the eye mixes abheben and abzuheben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. abheben runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against abzuheben's 9 (VCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abheben with abzuheben
A purely visual mix-up. abheben ([ˈapˌheːbn̩]) and abzuheben ([ˈapt͡suˌheːbn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51407, 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]. abzuheben is at rank #38,557, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌheːbn̩].
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 51407, this pair ranks #1,136,706 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abheben vs abzuheben
Shared letters: abehn. Private to "abheben": -. Private to "abzuheben": uz.
"abheben" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "abzuheben" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abheben" for "abzuheben" ever safe?
Frequency check: "abheben" vs "abzuheben" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "abheben" and "abzuheben" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "abheben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzuheben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,136,706 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abheben" and "abzuheben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abzuheben vs abzulesen". 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 #1,136,706 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.