ablassenvsanpassenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,281
“ablassen” frequency rank
#6,268
“anpassen” frequency rank
32549
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ablassen anpassen
Definition eine Sache nicht weiter verfolgen etwas passend machen, angleichen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ablassen and anpassen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
ablassen
8 ch
anpassen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ablassen ([ˈapˌlasn̩]) and anpassen ([ˈanˌpasn̩]) 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 32549, 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]. anpassen is at rank #6,268, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌpasn̩].

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 32549, this pair ranks #1,705,292 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ablassen vs anpassen

Shared letters: aens. Private to "ablassen": bl. Private to "anpassen": p.

"ablassen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC  ·  "anpassen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ablassenabalssen · abblassen · ablasen · ablasesn · ablassenn · ablassne · ablaßen · abllassen
  • anpassenanapssen · annpassen · anpasen · anpasesn · anpassenn · anpassne · anpaßen · anppassen

Frequency comparison

ablassen#26,281
anpassen#6,268

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ablassen" and "anpassen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌlasn̩] versus [ˈanˌpasn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ablassen" or "anpassen"?
"anpassen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,268 in our German list, against #26,281 for "ablassen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ablassen vs anpassen

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