ablassenvsanlassenWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ablassen and anlassen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
ablassen
8 ch
anlassen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • ablassenabalssen · abblassen · ablasen · ablasesn · ablassenn · ablassne · ablaßen · abllassen
  • anlassenalnassen · analssen · anlasen · anlasesn · anlassenn · anlassne · anlaßen · anllassen

Frequency comparison

ablassen#26,281
anlassen#46,468

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ablassen" and "anlassen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌlasn̩] versus [ˈanˌlasn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ablassen" or "anlassen"?
"ablassen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,281 in our German list, against #46,468 for "anlassen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ablassen vs anlassen

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 “ablassen” 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