AbrufvsAbzugConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#25,869
“Abruf” frequency rank
#6,755
“Abzug” frequency rank
32624
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abruf Abzug
Definition Aufforderung zum Verlassen einer Position, eines Amtes Abrückung von Soldaten; taktische Bewegung von Truppen

Where the eye mixes Abruf and Abzug

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Abruf and Abzug follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

5 ch
Abruf
5 ch
Abzug

Visual trap between Abruf and Abzug

A purely visual mix-up. Abruf ([ˈapˌʁuːf]) and Abzug ([ˈapˌt͡suːk]) 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 32624, 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]. Abzug is at rank #6,755, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌt͡suːk].

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 32624, this pair ranks #1,703,601 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Abruf vs Abzug

Shared letters: abu. Private to "Abruf": fr. Private to "Abzug": gz.

"Abruf" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "Abzug" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Abruf ← abbruf · abrfu · abrruf · abruff · aburf · arbuf · baruf
  • Abzug ← abbzug · abuzg · abzgu · abzugg · abzzug · azbug · bazug

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Abruf" and "Abzug" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌʁuːf] versus [ˈapˌt͡suːk]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Abruf" or "Abzug"?
"Abzug" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,755 in our German list, against #25,869 for "Abruf". 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 "Abzug" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,703,601 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Abruf" and "Abzug" 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 #1,703,601 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