Which to use
“ablaufen” is a verb and “Anläufe” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,298
- “ablaufen” frequency rank
- #48,704
- “Anläufe” frequency rank
- 62002
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ablaufen | Anläufe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zu laufen beginnen | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Anlauf |
Where the eye mixes ablaufen and Anläufe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. ablaufen runs 8 letters (VCCVVCVC) against Anläufe's 7 (VCCVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ablaufen with Anläufe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ablaufen is [ˈapˌlaʊ̯fn̩] while Anläufe is [ˈanlɔɪ̯fə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62002, 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]. Anläufe is at rank #48,704, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanlɔɪ̯fə].
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 62002, this pair ranks #728,837 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ablaufen vs Anläufe
Shared letters: aeflnu. Private to "ablaufen": b. Private to "Anläufe": ä.
"ablaufen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC · "Anläufe" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- ablaufen ← abalufen · abblaufen · ablafuen · ablauefn · ablaufenn · ablauffen · ablaufne · abllaufen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ablaufen" and "Anläufe" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ablaufen" or "Anläufe"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "ablaufen" and "Anläufe" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ablaufen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Anläufe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #728,837 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ablaufen" and "Anläufe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Anlässe 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 #728,837 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.