Which to use
“Ablage” and “Anlage” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,916
- “Ablage” frequency rank
- #1,651
- “Anlage” frequency rank
- 33567
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ablage | Anlage |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein offenes Behältnis (oder auch dafür bestimmter Ort), das dazu dient, Dinge (meist: Papier) hineinzulegen | persönliche Veranlagung (geistig, körperlich); Faktoren, die durch Erziehung nicht beeinflussbar sind |
Where the eye mixes Ablage and Anlage
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Ablage and Anlage follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: Ablage vs Anlage
A purely visual mix-up. Ablage ([ˈapˌlaːɡə]) and Anlage ([ˈanˌlaːɡə]) 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 - b in “Ablage” becomes n in “Anlage”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33567, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ablage is recorded at frequency rank #31,916, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌlaːɡə]. Anlage is at rank #1,651, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌlaːɡə].
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 33567, this pair ranks #1,683,075 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ablage vs Anlage
Shared letters: aegl. Private to "Ablage": b. Private to "Anlage": n.
"Ablage" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "Anlage" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Ablage" and "Anlage" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Ablage" or "Anlage" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ablage" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Anlage" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,683,075 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ablage" and "Anlage" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ablage vs ablegt". 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 #1,683,075 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.