AblagevsAnlageWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Ablage
6 ch
Anlage

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • Ablageabalge · abblage · ablaeg · ablagge · ablgae · abllage · albage · balage
  • Anlagealnage · analge · anlaeg · anlagge · anlgae · anllage · annlage · nalage

Frequency comparison

Ablage#31,916
Anlage#1,651

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Ablage" and "Anlage" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌlaːɡə] versus [ˈanˌlaːɡə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Ablage" or "Anlage"?
"Anlage" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,651 in our German list, against #31,916 for "Ablage". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Ablage vs Anlage

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 “Ablage” 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