abladenvsablösenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,620
“abladen” frequency rank
#20,483
“ablösen” frequency rank
62103
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abladen ablösen
Definition eine Ladung von einem Ort (zum Beispiel einem Transportfahrzeug) entfernen oder herunterheben eine Aufgabe für jemanden übernehmen, jemanden ersetzen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
abladen
7 ch
ablösen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abladen ([ˈapˌlaːdn̩]) and ablösen ([ˈapˌløːzn̩]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62103, 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]. ablösen is at rank #20,483, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌløːzn̩].

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 62103, this pair ranks #725,030 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abladen vs ablösen

Shared letters: abeln. Private to "abladen": d. Private to "ablösen": .

"abladen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "ablösen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abladenabalden · abbladen · abladden · abladenn · abladne · ablaedn · abldaen · albaden

Frequency comparison

abladen#41,620
ablösen#20,483

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abladen" and "ablösen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌlaːdn̩] versus [ˈapˌløːzn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abladen" or "ablösen"?
"ablösen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,483 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 ablösen

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