Which to use
“abschalten” is a verb and “Abschaltung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,980
- “abschalten” frequency rank
- #28,979
- “Abschaltung” frequency rank
- 37959
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abschalten | Abschaltung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Gerät oder eine Anlage außer Betrieb setzen, stromlos machen | die Handlung des Abschaltens; Unterbrechung des elektrischen Stroms |
Where the eye mixes abschalten and Abschaltung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. abschalten runs 10 letters (VCCCCVCCVC) against Abschaltung's 11 (VCCCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between abschalten and Abschaltung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abschalten is [ˈapˌʃaltn̩] while Abschaltung is [ˈapˌʃaltʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37959, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abschalten is recorded at frequency rank #8,980, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌʃaltn̩]. Abschaltung is at rank #28,979, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌʃaltʊŋ].
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 37959, this pair ranks #1,576,580 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abschalten vs Abschaltung
Shared letters: abchlnst. Private to "abschalten": e. Private to "Abschaltung": gu.
"abschalten" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC · "Abschaltung" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abschalten ← abbschalten · abcshalten · abscahlten · abscchalten · abschaletn · abschallten · abschaltenn · abschaltne
- Abschaltung ← abbschaltung · abcshaltung · abscahltung · abscchaltung · abschalltung · abschaltnug · abschalttung · abschaltugn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abschalten" and "Abschaltung" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abschalten" or "Abschaltung"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "abschalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Abschaltung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,576,580 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abschalten" and "Abschaltung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Abschaltung vs Abschätzung". 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 #1,576,580 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.