Which to use
“ablenken” and “abzulenken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,014
- “ablenken” frequency rank
- #16,895
- “abzulenken” frequency rank
- 28909
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ablenken | abzulenken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Aufmerksamkeit auf etwas anderes lenken | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ablenken |
Where the eye mixes ablenken and abzulenken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. ablenken runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against abzulenken's 10 (VCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between ablenken and abzulenken
A purely visual mix-up. ablenken ([ˈapˌlɛŋkn̩]) and abzulenken ([ˈapt͡suˌlɛŋkn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28909, 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]. abzulenken is at rank #16,895, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌlɛŋkn̩].
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 28909, this pair ranks #1,776,391 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ablenken vs abzulenken
Shared letters: abekln. Private to "ablenken": -. Private to "abzulenken": uz.
"ablenken" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "abzulenken" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ablenken ← abblenken · abelnken · ableknen · ablenekn · ablenkenn · ablenkken · ablenkne · ablennken
- abzulenken ← abbzulenken · abuzlenken · abzluenken · abzuelnken · abzuleknen · abzulenekn · abzulenkenn · abzulenkken
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ablenken" and "abzulenken" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ablenken" or "abzulenken"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "ablenken" and "abzulenken" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ablenken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzulenken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,776,391 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ablenken" and "abzulenken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ablehnten vs ablenken". 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 #1,776,391 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.