Which to use
“ablehnen” and “ablehnte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,856
- “ablehnen” frequency rank
- #27,594
- “ablehnte” frequency rank
- 35450
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ablehnen | ablehnte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zu etwas nein sagen; etwas zurückweisen oder missbilligen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs ablehnen |
Where the eye mixes ablehnen and ablehnte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. ablehnen (VCCVCCVC) and ablehnte (VCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: ablehnen vs ablehnte
A purely visual mix-up. ablehnen ([ˈapˌleːnən]) and ablehnte ([ˈapˌleːntə]) 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 35450, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ablehnen is recorded at frequency rank #7,856, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌleːnən]. ablehnte is at rank #27,594, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌleːntə].
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 35450, this pair ranks #1,639,699 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ablehnen vs ablehnte
Shared letters: abehln. Private to "ablehnen": -. Private to "ablehnte": t.
"ablehnen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "ablehnte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ablehnen" for "ablehnte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ablehnen" or "ablehnte"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ablehnen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ablehnte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,639,699 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ablehnen" and "ablehnte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ablehnte vs ablehnten". 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 #1,639,699 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.