Which to use
“abläuft” is a verb and “Anlauf” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,226
- “abläuft” frequency rank
- #11,807
- “Anlauf” frequency rank
- 26033
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abläuft | Anlauf |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs ablaufen | das Laufen vor einem Sprung oder Stoß, um Schwung zu holen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abläuft and Anlauf apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abläuft is [ˈapˌlɔɪ̯ft] while Anlauf is [ˈanˌlaʊ̯f]. 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 26033, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abläuft is recorded at frequency rank #14,226, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌlɔɪ̯ft]. Anlauf is at rank #11,807, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌlaʊ̯f].
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 26033, this pair ranks #1,824,218 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abläuft vs Anlauf
Shared letters: aflu. Private to "abläuft": btä. Private to "Anlauf": n.
"abläuft" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCC · "Anlauf" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Anlauf ← alnauf · analuf · anlafu · anlauff · anllauf · anluaf · annlauf · nalauf
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abläuft" and "Anlauf" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abläuft" or "Anlauf"?
Remembering abläuft vs Anlauf
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “abläuft”; for a noun, it's “Anlauf”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “abläuft” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable