Which to use
“Abschaltung” and “Abspaltung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,979
- “Abschaltung” frequency rank
- #17,205
- “Abspaltung” frequency rank
- 46184
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Abschaltung | Abspaltung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Handlung des Abschaltens; Unterbrechung des elektrischen Stroms | Trennung eines Stückes, das für sich eine Einheit darstellt |
Where the eye mixes Abschaltung and Abspaltung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Abschaltung runs 11 letters (VCCCCVCCVCC) against Abspaltung's 10 (VCCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Abschaltung with Abspaltung
A purely visual mix-up. Abschaltung ([ˈapˌʃaltʊŋ]) and Abspaltung ([ˈapˌʃpaltʊŋ]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46184, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Abschaltung is recorded at frequency rank #28,979, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌʃaltʊŋ]. Abspaltung is at rank #17,205, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌʃpaltʊŋ].
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 46184, this pair ranks #1,327,693 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Abschaltung vs Abspaltung
Shared letters: abglnstu. Private to "Abschaltung": ch. Private to "Abspaltung": p.
"Abschaltung" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVCC · "Abspaltung" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Abschaltung ← abbschaltung · abcshaltung · abscahltung · abscchaltung · abschalltung · abschaltnug · abschalttung · abschaltugn
- Abspaltung ← abbspaltung · abpsaltung · absapltung · abspalltung · abspaltnug · abspalttung · abspaltugn · abspaltungg
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Abschaltung" and "Abspaltung" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Abschaltung" or "Abspaltung" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Abschaltung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Abspaltung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,327,693 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Abschaltung" and "Abspaltung" 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 #1,327,693 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.