Which to use
“abnehmen” and “abzunehmen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,758
- “abnehmen” frequency rank
- #17,793
- “abzunehmen” frequency rank
- 22551
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abnehmen | abzunehmen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | von einer Stelle entfernen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abnehmen |
Where the eye mixes abnehmen and abzunehmen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abnehmen runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against abzunehmen's 10 (VCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: abnehmen vs abzunehmen
A purely visual mix-up. abnehmen ([ˈapˌneːmən]) and abzunehmen ([ˈapt͡suˌneːmən]) 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 22551, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abnehmen is recorded at frequency rank #4,758, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌneːmən]. abzunehmen is at rank #17,793, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌneːmən].
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 22551, this pair ranks #1,872,795 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abnehmen vs abzunehmen
Shared letters: abehmn. Private to "abnehmen": -. Private to "abzunehmen": uz.
"abnehmen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "abzunehmen" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abnehmen ← abbnehmen · abenhmen · abnehemn · abnehhmen · abnehmenn · abnehmmen · abnehmne · abnemhen
- abzunehmen ← abbzunehmen · abuznehmen · abznuehmen · abzuenhmen · abzunehemn · abzunehhmen · abzunehmenn · abzunehmmen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abnehmen" and "abzunehmen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abnehmen" or "abzunehmen"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "abnehmen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzunehmen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,872,795 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abnehmen" and "abzunehmen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abzunehmen vs abzuwehren". 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 #1,872,795 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.