Which to use
“abschalten” and “abzuhalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,980
- “abschalten” frequency rank
- #14,484
- “abzuhalten” frequency rank
- 23464
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abschalten | abzuhalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Gerät oder eine Anlage außer Betrieb setzen, stromlos machen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abhalten |
Where the eye mixes abschalten and abzuhalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abschalten (VCCCCVCCVC) and abzuhalten (VCCVCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses abschalten with abzuhalten
A purely visual mix-up. abschalten ([ˈapˌʃaltn̩]) and abzuhalten ([ˈapt͡suˌhaltn̩]) 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 23464, 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]. abzuhalten is at rank #14,484, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌhaltn̩].
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 23464, this pair ranks #1,860,981 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abschalten vs abzuhalten
Shared letters: abehlnt. Private to "abschalten": cs. Private to "abzuhalten": uz.
"abschalten" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC · "abzuhalten" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abschalten ← abbschalten · abcshalten · abscahlten · abscchalten · abschaletn · abschallten · abschaltenn · abschaltne
- abzuhalten ← abbzuhalten · abuzhalten · abzhualten · abzuahlten · abzuhaletn · abzuhallten · abzuhaltenn · abzuhaltne
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abschalten" and "abzuhalten" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "abschalten" or "abzuhalten" show up more?
Useful next steps
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 "abzuhalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,860,981 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abschalten" and "abzuhalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abschalten vs anschalten". 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 #1,860,981 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.