abräumenvsabrufenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#43,682
“abräumen” frequency rank
#19,110
“abrufen” frequency rank
62792
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abräumen abrufen
Definition Gegenstände von einer Oberfläche entfernen auf Daten zugreifen

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
abräumen
7 ch
abrufen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abräumen ([ˈapˌʁɔɪ̯mən]) and abrufen ([ˈapˌʁuːfn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62792, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abräumen is recorded at frequency rank #43,682, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌʁɔɪ̯mən]. abrufen is at rank #19,110, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌʁuːfn̩].

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 62792, this pair ranks #700,072 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abräumen vs abrufen

Shared letters: abenru. Private to "abräumen": . Private to "abrufen": f.

"abräumen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC  ·  "abrufen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abrufenabbrufen · abrfuen · abrrufen · abruefn · abrufenn · abruffen · abrufne · aburfen

Frequency comparison

abräumen#43,682
abrufen#19,110

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abräumen" and "abrufen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌʁɔɪ̯mən] versus [ˈapˌʁuːfn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abräumen" or "abrufen"?
"abrufen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,110 in our German list, against #43,682 for "abräumen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abräumen vs abrufen

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 “abräumen” 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