abklärenvsanklagenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,761
“abklären” frequency rank
#21,159
“anklagen” frequency rank
60920
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abklären anklagen
Definition Klarheit über eine Angelegenheit schaffen; vollständig klären jemanden beschuldigen, unzulänglich zu sein oder etwas Schlechtes getan zu haben

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
abklären
8 ch
anklagen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abklären ([ˈapˌklɛːʁən]) and anklagen ([ˈanˌklaːɡn̩]) 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 60920, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abklären is recorded at frequency rank #39,761, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌklɛːʁən]. anklagen is at rank #21,159, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌklaːɡn̩].

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 60920, this pair ranks #768,961 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abklären vs anklagen

Shared letters: aekln. Private to "abklären": brä. Private to "anklagen": g.

"abklären" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC  ·  "anklagen" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • anklagenaknlagen · ankalgen · ankklagen · anklaegn · anklagenn · anklaggen · anklagne · anklgaen

Frequency comparison

abklären#39,761
anklagen#21,159

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abklären" and "anklagen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌklɛːʁən] versus [ˈanˌklaːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abklären" or "anklagen"?
"anklagen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,159 in our German list, against #39,761 for "abklären". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abklären vs anklagen

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 “abklären” 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