Which to use
“abschaffen” and “anschaffen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,028
- “abschaffen” frequency rank
- #20,498
- “anschaffen” frequency rank
- 30526
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abschaffen | anschaffen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas entfernen, außer Kraft setzen, beseitigen | etwas für sich erwerben |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abschaffen and anschaffen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. abschaffen ([ˈapˌʃafn̩]) and anschaffen ([ˈanˌʃafn̩]) 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 a single letter - b in “abschaffen” becomes n in “anschaffen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30526, 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]. anschaffen is at rank #20,498, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʃafn̩].
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 30526, this pair ranks #1,746,103 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abschaffen vs anschaffen
Shared letters: acefhns. Private to "abschaffen": b. Private to "anschaffen": -.
"abschaffen" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC · "anschaffen" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abschaffen ← abbschaffen · abcshaffen · abscahffen · abscchaffen · abschafefn · abschafen · abschaffenn · abschaffne
- anschaffen ← ancshaffen · annschaffen · anscahffen · anscchaffen · anschafefn · anschafen · anschaffenn · anschaffne
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abschaffen" and "anschaffen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abschaffen" or "anschaffen"?
Remembering abschaffen vs anschaffen
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