Which to use
“ablenken” and “ablesen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,014
- “ablenken” frequency rank
- #14,225
- “ablesen” frequency rank
- 26239
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ablenken | ablesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Aufmerksamkeit auf etwas anderes lenken | einen Wert festhalten |
Where the eye mixes ablenken and ablesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ablenken runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against ablesen's 7 (VCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ablenken with ablesen
A purely visual mix-up. ablenken ([ˈapˌlɛŋkn̩]) and ablesen ([ˈapˌleːzn̩]) 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 26239, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ablenken is recorded at frequency rank #12,014, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌlɛŋkn̩]. ablesen is at rank #14,225, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌleːzn̩].
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 26239, this pair ranks #1,821,119 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ablenken vs ablesen
Shared letters: abeln. Private to "ablenken": k. Private to "ablesen": s.
"ablenken" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "ablesen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ablenken" and "ablesen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "ablenken" or "ablesen"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ablenken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ablesen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,821,119 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ablenken" and "ablesen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ablesen vs Alleen". 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 #1,821,119 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.