Which to use
“able” is an adjective and “allem” is an unknown - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,552
- “able” frequency rank
- #239
- “allem” frequency rank
- 38791
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | able | allem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in der Lage sein; etwas tun können | maskuliner und neutraler Dativ Singular des Indefinitpronomens alle |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set able and allem apart are highlighted. They share 3 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: able is [ˈeɪbl] while allem is [ˈaləm]. 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 (adjective vs unknown), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38791, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
able is recorded at frequency rank #38,552, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈeɪbl]. allem is at rank #239, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [ˈaləm].
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 38791, this pair ranks #1,554,513 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of able vs allem
Shared letters: ael. Private to "able": b. Private to "allem": m.
"able" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "allem" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "able" and "allem" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "able" or "allem"?
Remembering able vs allem
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “able”; for an unknown, it's “allem”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “able” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable