Which to use
“ablassen” and “anlassen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,281
- “ablassen” frequency rank
- #46,468
- “anlassen” frequency rank
- 72749
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ablassen | anlassen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Sache nicht weiter verfolgen | etwas in Funktion setzen |
Where the eye mixes ablassen and anlassen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. ablassen and anlassen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: ablassen vs anlassen
A purely visual mix-up. ablassen ([ˈapˌlasn̩]) and anlassen ([ˈanˌlasn̩]) 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 “ablassen” becomes n in “anlassen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72749, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ablassen is recorded at frequency rank #26,281, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌlasn̩]. anlassen is at rank #46,468, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌlasn̩].
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 72749, this pair ranks #379,551 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ablassen vs anlassen
Shared letters: aelns. Private to "ablassen": b. Private to "anlassen": -.
"ablassen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "anlassen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ablassen" and "anlassen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ablassen" or "anlassen"?
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 "ablassen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "anlassen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #379,551 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ablassen" and "anlassen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Anlässe vs anlassen". 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 #379,551 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.