abladenvsablassenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,620
“abladen” frequency rank
#26,281
“ablassen” frequency rank
67901
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abladen ablassen
Definition eine Ladung von einem Ort (zum Beispiel einem Transportfahrzeug) entfernen oder herunterheben eine Sache nicht weiter verfolgen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abladen and ablassen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
abladen
8 ch
ablassen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abladen ([ˈapˌlaːdn̩]) and ablassen ([ˈapˌlasn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67901, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abladen is recorded at frequency rank #41,620, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌlaːdn̩]. ablassen is at rank #26,281, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌlasn̩].

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 67901, this pair ranks #525,052 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abladen vs ablassen

Shared letters: abeln. Private to "abladen": d. Private to "ablassen": s.

"abladen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "ablassen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abladenabalden · abbladen · abladden · abladenn · abladne · ablaedn · abldaen · albaden
  • ablassenabalssen · abblassen · ablasen · ablasesn · ablassenn · ablassne · ablaßen · abllassen

Frequency comparison

abladen#41,620
ablassen#26,281

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abladen" and "ablassen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌlaːdn̩] versus [ˈapˌlasn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abladen" or "ablassen"?
"ablassen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,281 in our German list, against #41,620 for "abladen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abladen vs ablassen

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 “abladen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list