Which to use
“Ablenkung” and “Abwendung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,802
- “Ablenkung” frequency rank
- #47,185
- “Abwendung” frequency rank
- 58987
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ablenkung | Abwendung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Abweichung von einer Richtung | Wegdrehen; Rückzug aus einer Situation |
Where the eye mixes Ablenkung and Abwendung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Ablenkung and Abwendung follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: Ablenkung vs Abwendung
A purely visual mix-up. Ablenkung ([ˈapˌlɛŋkʊŋ]) and Abwendung ([ˈapˌvɛndʊŋ]) 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 58987, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ablenkung is recorded at frequency rank #11,802, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌlɛŋkʊŋ]. Abwendung is at rank #47,185, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌvɛndʊŋ].
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 58987, this pair ranks #841,596 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Ablenkung vs Abwendung
Shared letters: abegnu. Private to "Ablenkung": kl. Private to "Abwendung": dw.
"Ablenkung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC · "Abwendung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Ablenkung" for "Abwendung" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Ablenkung" or "Abwendung"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "Ablenkung" and "Abwendung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ablenkung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Abwendung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #841,596 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ablenkung" and "Abwendung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Abweisung vs Abwendung". 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 #841,596 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.