ablesenvsablösenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“ablesen” and “ablösen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#14,225
“ablesen” frequency rank
#20,483
“ablösen” frequency rank
34708
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ablesen ablösen
Definition einen Wert festhalten eine Aufgabe für jemanden übernehmen, jemanden ersetzen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
ablesen
7 ch
ablösen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ablesen ([ˈapˌleːzn̩]) and ablösen ([ˈapˌløːzn̩]) 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 a single letter - e in “ablesen” becomes ö in “ablösen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34708, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ablesen is recorded at frequency rank #14,225, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌleːzn̩]. ablösen is at rank #20,483, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌløːzn̩].

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 34708, this pair ranks #1,657,174 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ablesen vs ablösen

Shared letters: abelns. Private to "ablesen": -. Private to "ablösen": ö.

"ablesen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "ablösen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ablesenabblesen · abelsen · ableesn · ablesenn · ablesne · ablessen · abllesen · ablseen

Frequency comparison

ablesen#14,225
ablösen#20,483

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ablesen" and "ablösen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌleːzn̩] versus [ˈapˌløːzn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ablesen" or "ablösen"?
"ablesen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,225 in our German list, against #20,483 for "ablösen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ablesen vs ablösen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ablesen” 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