abratenvsabwägenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,622
“abraten” frequency rank
#25,872
“abwägen” frequency rank
67494
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abraten abwägen
Definition jemandem raten, etwas nicht zu tun vergleichend prüfen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abraten and abwägen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
abraten
7 ch
abwägen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abraten ([ˈapˌʁaːtn̩]) and abwägen ([ˈapˌvɛːɡn̩]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67494, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abraten is recorded at frequency rank #41,622, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌʁaːtn̩]. abwägen is at rank #25,872, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌvɛːɡn̩].

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 67494, this pair ranks #538,419 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abraten vs abwägen

Shared letters: aben. Private to "abraten": rt. Private to "abwägen": gwä.

"abraten" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "abwägen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abratenabarten · abbraten · abraetn · abratenn · abratne · abratten · abrraten · abrtaen

Frequency comparison

abraten#41,622
abwägen#25,872

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abraten" and "abwägen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌʁaːtn̩] versus [ˈapˌvɛːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abraten" or "abwägen"?
"abwägen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,872 in our German list, against #41,622 for "abraten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abraten vs abwägen

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 “abraten” 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