AbrufvsAbwurfWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#25,869
“Abruf” frequency rank
#45,740
“Abwurf” frequency rank
71609
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abruf Abwurf
Definition Aufforderung zum Verlassen einer Position, eines Amtes eine Handlung, etwas von oben herab fallen zu lassen (oft in Zusammenhang mit Flugzeugen benutzt)

Where the eye mixes Abruf and Abwurf

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Abruf runs 5 letters (VCCVC) against Abwurf's 6 (VCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
Abruf
6 ch
Abwurf

Look-alike desk: Abruf vs Abwurf

A purely visual mix-up. Abruf ([ˈapˌʁuːf]) and Abwurf ([ˈapvʊʁf]) 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 71609, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Abruf is recorded at frequency rank #25,869, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌʁuːf]. Abwurf is at rank #45,740, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapvʊʁf].

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 71609, this pair ranks #411,928 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Abruf vs Abwurf

Shared letters: abfru. Private to "Abruf": -. Private to "Abwurf": w.

"Abruf" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "Abwurf" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Abruf ← abbruf · abrfu · abrruf · abruff · aburf · arbuf · baruf
  • Abwurf ← abbwurf · abuwrf · abwruf · abwufr · abwurff · abwurrf · abwwurf · awburf

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Abruf" and "Abwurf" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌʁuːf] versus [ˈapvʊʁf]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Abruf" vs "Abwurf" - which ranks higher?
"Abruf" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,869 in our German list, against #45,740 for "Abwurf". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Abruf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Abwurf" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #411,928 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Abruf" and "Abwurf" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Abruf vs abtun". 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 #411,928 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list