Which to use
“ablehnen” and “ableiten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,856
- “ablehnen” frequency rank
- #13,299
- “ableiten” frequency rank
- 21155
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ablehnen | ableiten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zu etwas nein sagen; etwas zurückweisen oder missbilligen | etwas abzweigen lassen, abführen |
Where the eye mixes ablehnen and ableiten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ablehnen (VCCVCCVC) and ableiten (VCCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: ablehnen vs ableiten
A purely visual mix-up. ablehnen ([ˈapˌleːnən]) and ableiten ([ˈapˌlaɪ̯tn̩]) 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 21155, 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]. ableiten is at rank #13,299, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌlaɪ̯tn̩].
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 21155, this pair ranks #1,889,540 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ablehnen vs ableiten
Shared letters: abeln. Private to "ablehnen": h. Private to "ableiten": it.
"ablehnen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "ableiten" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ablehnen" and "ableiten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "ablehnen" or "ableiten" show up more?
What to do next
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 "ableiten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,889,540 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ablehnen" and "ableiten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ablehnten vs ableiten". 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 #1,889,540 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.