abladenvsablaufenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,620
“abladen” frequency rank
#13,298
“ablaufen” frequency rank
54918
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abladen ablaufen
Definition eine Ladung von einem Ort (zum Beispiel einem Transportfahrzeug) entfernen oder herunterheben zu laufen beginnen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
abladen
8 ch
ablaufen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abladen ([ˈapˌlaːdn̩]) and ablaufen ([ˈapˌlaʊ̯fn̩]) 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 54918, 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]. ablaufen is at rank #13,298, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌlaʊ̯fn̩].

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 54918, this pair ranks #999,877 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abladen vs ablaufen

Shared letters: abeln. Private to "abladen": d. Private to "ablaufen": fu.

"abladen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "ablaufen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abladenabalden · abbladen · abladden · abladenn · abladne · ablaedn · abldaen · albaden
  • ablaufenabalufen · abblaufen · ablafuen · ablauefn · ablaufenn · ablauffen · ablaufne · abllaufen

Frequency comparison

abladen#41,620
ablaufen#13,298

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abladen" and "ablaufen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌlaːdn̩] versus [ˈapˌlaʊ̯fn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abladen" or "ablaufen"?
"ablaufen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,298 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 ablaufen

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