Which to use
“abschalten” and “abzuschalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,980
- “abschalten” frequency rank
- #30,425
- “abzuschalten” frequency rank
- 39405
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abschalten | abzuschalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Gerät oder eine Anlage außer Betrieb setzen, stromlos machen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abschalten |
Where the eye mixes abschalten and abzuschalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. abschalten runs 10 letters (VCCCCVCCVC) against abzuschalten's 12 (VCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abschalten with abzuschalten
A purely visual mix-up. abschalten ([ˈapˌʃaltn̩]) and abzuschalten ([ˈapt͡suˌʃaltn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39405, 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]. abzuschalten is at rank #30,425, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌʃaltn̩].
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 39405, this pair ranks #1,537,734 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abschalten vs abzuschalten
Shared letters: abcehlnst. Private to "abschalten": -. Private to "abzuschalten": uz.
"abschalten" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC · "abzuschalten" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abschalten ← abbschalten · abcshalten · abscahlten · abscchalten · abschaletn · abschallten · abschaltenn · abschaltne
- abzuschalten ← abbzuschalten · abuzschalten · abzsuchalten · abzucshalten · abzuscahlten · abzuscchalten · abzuschaletn · abzuschallten
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abschalten" and "abzuschalten" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "abschalten" or "abzuschalten" show up more?
What to do next
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 "abzuschalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,537,734 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abschalten" and "abzuschalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abzuschalten vs abzuschätzen". 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 #1,537,734 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.