Which to use
“ablaufen” and “abläuft” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,298
- “ablaufen” frequency rank
- #14,226
- “abläuft” frequency rank
- 27524
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ablaufen | abläuft |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zu laufen beginnen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs ablaufen |
Where the eye mixes ablaufen and abläuft
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. ablaufen runs 8 letters (VCCVVCVC) against abläuft's 7 (VCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ablaufen with abläuft
A purely visual mix-up. ablaufen ([ˈapˌlaʊ̯fn̩]) and abläuft ([ˈapˌlɔɪ̯ft]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27524, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ablaufen is recorded at frequency rank #13,298, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌlaʊ̯fn̩]. abläuft is at rank #14,226, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌlɔɪ̯ft].
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 27524, this pair ranks #1,800,367 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ablaufen vs abläuft
Shared letters: abflu. Private to "ablaufen": en. Private to "abläuft": tä.
"ablaufen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC · "abläuft" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ablaufen ← abalufen · abblaufen · ablafuen · ablauefn · ablaufenn · ablauffen · ablaufne · abllaufen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ablaufen" and "abläuft" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "ablaufen" or "abläuft" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ablaufen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abläuft" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,800,367 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ablaufen" and "abläuft" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abläuft vs Anläufe". 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 #1,800,367 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.