ablenkenvsAndenkenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ablenken is a verb, Andenken is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ablenken” is a verb and “Andenken” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,014
“ablenken” frequency rank
#12,440
“Andenken” frequency rank
24454
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ablenken Andenken
Definition die Aufmerksamkeit auf etwas anderes lenken ein kleiner Gegenstand, der Erinnerungen an ein bestimmtes Ereignis oder eine bestimmte Person hervorrufen soll

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ablenken and Andenken apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
ablenken
8 ch
Andenken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ablenken is [ˈapˌlɛŋkn̩] while Andenken is [ˈanˌdɛŋkn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24454, 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]. Andenken is at rank #12,440, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌdɛŋkn̩].

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 24454, this pair ranks #1,847,394 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ablenken vs Andenken

Shared letters: aekn. Private to "ablenken": bl. Private to "Andenken": d.

"ablenken" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC  ·  "Andenken" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ablenkenabblenken · abelnken · ableknen · ablenekn · ablenkenn · ablenkken · ablenkne · ablennken
  • Andenkenadnenken · anddenken · andeknen · andenekn · andenkenn · andenkken · andenkne · andennken

Frequency comparison

ablenken#12,014
Andenken#12,440

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ablenken" and "Andenken" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ablenken" is a verb and "Andenken" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ablenken" or "Andenken"?
"ablenken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,014 in our German list, against #12,440 for "Andenken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ablenken vs Andenken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “ablenken”; for a noun, it's “Andenken”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ablenken” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list