abmeldenvsabwendenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#36,770
“abmelden” frequency rank
#18,145
“abwenden” frequency rank
54915
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abmelden abwenden
Definition seinen Weggang bekanntgeben (sich) zur Seite wegdrehen; sich von jemandem zurückziehen

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
abmelden
8 ch
abwenden

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abmelden ([ˈapˌmɛldn̩]) and abwenden ([ˈapˌvɛndn̩]) 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 54915, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abmelden is recorded at frequency rank #36,770, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌmɛldn̩]. abwenden is at rank #18,145, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌvɛndn̩].

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 54915, this pair ranks #1,000,006 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abmelden vs abwenden

Shared letters: abden. Private to "abmelden": lm. Private to "abwenden": w.

"abmelden" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC  ·  "abwenden" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abmeldenabbmelden · abemlden · abmedlen · abmeldden · abmeldenn · abmeldne · abmeledn · abmellden
  • abwendenabbwenden · abewnden · abwednen · abwendden · abwendenn · abwendne · abwenedn · abwennden

Frequency comparison

abmelden#36,770
abwenden#18,145

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abmelden" and "abwenden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌmɛldn̩] versus [ˈapˌvɛndn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abmelden" or "abwenden"?
"abwenden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,145 in our German list, against #36,770 for "abmelden". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abmelden vs abwenden

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 “abmelden” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list