absaugenvsabwägenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#46,445
“absaugen” frequency rank
#25,872
“abwägen” frequency rank
72317
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature absaugen abwägen
Definition einen Stoff mittels Unterdruck aus einem Raum oder einem anderen Stoff entfernen vergleichend prüfen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set absaugen and abwägen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
absaugen
7 ch
abwägen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. absaugen ([ˈapˌzaʊ̯ɡn̩]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72317, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

absaugen is recorded at frequency rank #46,445, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌzaʊ̯ɡn̩]. 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 72317, this pair ranks #391,716 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of absaugen vs abwägen

Shared letters: abegn. Private to "absaugen": su. Private to "abwägen": .

"absaugen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC  ·  "abwägen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • absaugenabasugen · abbsaugen · absaguen · absauegn · absaugenn · absauggen · absaugne · abssaugen

Frequency comparison

absaugen#46,445
abwägen#25,872

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "absaugen" and "abwägen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌzaʊ̯ɡn̩] versus [ˈapˌvɛːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "absaugen" or "abwägen"?
"abwägen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,872 in our German list, against #46,445 for "absaugen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering absaugen 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 “absaugen” 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