Which to use
“Abkehr” and “Abwehr” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,488
- “Abkehr” frequency rank
- #6,138
- “Abwehr” frequency rank
- 23626
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Abkehr | Abwehr |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht weiteres Verfolgen einer einmal eingeschlagenen Richtung, Beendigung eines Verhaltens, Distanzierung von einer Person | Maßnahme, um einen Angriff oder dessen beabsichtigte Auswirkung zu stoppen |
Where the eye mixes Abkehr and Abwehr
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Abkehr and Abwehr follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: Abkehr vs Abwehr
A purely visual mix-up. Abkehr ([ˈapkeːɐ̯]) and Abwehr ([ˈapˌveːɐ̯]) 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 a single letter - k in “Abkehr” becomes w in “Abwehr”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23626, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Abkehr is recorded at frequency rank #17,488, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapkeːɐ̯]. Abwehr is at rank #6,138, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌveːɐ̯].
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 23626, this pair ranks #1,858,774 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Abkehr vs Abwehr
Shared letters: abehr. Private to "Abkehr": k. Private to "Abwehr": w.
"Abkehr" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "Abwehr" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Abkehr" and "Abwehr" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Abkehr" or "Abwehr"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Abkehr" and "Abwehr" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Abkehr" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Abwehr" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,858,774 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Abkehr" and "Abwehr" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Abfuhr vs Abkehr". 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 #1,858,774 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.