Which to use
“ablehnen” and “ablehnten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,856
- “ablehnen” frequency rank
- #49,440
- “ablehnten” frequency rank
- 57296
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ablehnen | ablehnten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zu etwas nein sagen; etwas zurückweisen oder missbilligen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs ablehnen |
Where the eye mixes ablehnen and ablehnten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. ablehnen runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against ablehnten's 9 (VCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: ablehnen vs ablehnten
A purely visual mix-up. ablehnen ([ˈapˌleːnən]) and ablehnten ([ˈapˌleːntn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57296, 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]. ablehnten is at rank #49,440, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌleːntn̩].
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 57296, this pair ranks #906,775 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ablehnen vs ablehnten
Shared letters: abehln. Private to "ablehnen": -. Private to "ablehnten": t.
"ablehnen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "ablehnten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ablehnen" for "ablehnten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "ablehnen" or "ablehnten" show up more?
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 "ablehnten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #906,775 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ablehnen" and "ablehnten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ablehne 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 #906,775 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.