ablegenvsablösenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,496
“ablegen” frequency rank
#20,483
“ablösen” frequency rank
29979
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ablegen ablösen
Definition fortlegen, niederlegen, irgendwohin legen eine Aufgabe für jemanden übernehmen, jemanden ersetzen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ablegen and ablösen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
ablegen
7 ch
ablösen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ablegen ([ˈapˌleːɡn̩]) and ablösen ([ˈapˌløːzn̩]) 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 29979, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ablegen is recorded at frequency rank #9,496, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌleːɡn̩]. ablösen is at rank #20,483, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌløːzn̩].

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 29979, this pair ranks #1,756,630 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ablegen vs ablösen

Shared letters: abeln. Private to "ablegen": g. Private to "ablösen": .

"ablegen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "ablösen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ablegenabblegen · abelgen · ableegn · ablegenn · ableggen · ablegne · ablgeen · abllegen

Frequency comparison

ablegen#9,496
ablösen#20,483

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ablegen" and "ablösen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌleːɡn̩] versus [ˈapˌløːzn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ablegen" or "ablösen"?
"ablegen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,496 in our German list, against #20,483 for "ablösen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ablegen vs ablösen

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 “ablegen” 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