abschaffenvsabschätzenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,028
“abschaffen” frequency rank
#22,599
“abschätzen” frequency rank
32627
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abschaffen abschätzen
Definition etwas entfernen, außer Kraft setzen, beseitigen etwas oder jemanden prüfend schätzen, veranschlagen, taxieren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abschaffen and abschätzen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
abschaffen
10 ch
abschätzen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abschaffen ([ˈapˌʃafn̩]) and abschätzen ([ˈapˌʃɛt͡sn̩]) 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 32627, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abschaffen is recorded at frequency rank #10,028, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌʃafn̩]. abschätzen is at rank #22,599, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌʃɛt͡sn̩].

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 32627, this pair ranks #1,703,542 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of abschaffen vs abschätzen

Shared letters: abcehns. Private to "abschaffen": f. Private to "abschätzen": tzä.

"abschaffen" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC  ·  "abschätzen" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abschaffenabbschaffen · abcshaffen · abscahffen · abscchaffen · abschafefn · abschafen · abschaffenn · abschaffne

Frequency comparison

abschaffen#10,028
abschätzen#22,599

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abschaffen" and "abschätzen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌʃafn̩] versus [ˈapˌʃɛt͡sn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abschaffen" or "abschätzen"?
"abschaffen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,028 in our German list, against #22,599 for "abschätzen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abschaffen vs abschätzen

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 “abschaffen” 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