Which to use
“ablösen” and “abzulösen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,483
- “ablösen” frequency rank
- #45,095
- “abzulösen” frequency rank
- 65578
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ablösen | abzulösen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Aufgabe für jemanden übernehmen, jemanden ersetzen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ablösen |
Where the eye mixes ablösen and abzulösen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. ablösen runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against abzulösen's 9 (VCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ablösen with abzulösen
A purely visual mix-up. ablösen ([ˈapˌløːzn̩]) and abzulösen ([ˈapt͡suˌløːzn̩]) 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 65578, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ablösen is recorded at frequency rank #20,483, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌløːzn̩]. abzulösen is at rank #45,095, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌløːzn̩].
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 65578, this pair ranks #601,998 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ablösen vs abzulösen
Shared letters: abelnsö. Private to "ablösen": -. Private to "abzulösen": uz.
"ablösen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "abzulösen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ablösen" and "abzulösen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "ablösen" vs "abzulösen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "ablösen" and "abzulösen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ablösen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzulösen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #601,998 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ablösen" and "abzulösen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abzulesen vs abzulösen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #601,998 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.