abschätzenvsabzuschätzenTell them apart

Which to use

“abschätzen” and “abzuschätzen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#22,599
“abschätzen” frequency rank
#35,037
“abzuschätzen” frequency rank
57636
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abschätzen abzuschätzen
Definition etwas oder jemanden prüfend schätzen, veranschlagen, taxieren erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abschätzen

Where the eye mixes abschätzen and abzuschätzen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. abschätzen runs 10 letters (VCCCCVCCVC) against abzuschätzen's 12 (VCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
abschätzen
12 ch
abzuschätzen

Visual trap between abschätzen and abzuschätzen

A purely visual mix-up. abschätzen ([ˈapˌʃɛt͡sn̩]) and abzuschätzen ([ˈapt͡suˌʃɛt͡sn̩]) 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 57636, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abschätzen is recorded at frequency rank #22,599, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌʃɛt͡sn̩]. abzuschätzen is at rank #35,037, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌʃɛt͡sn̩].

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 57636, this pair ranks #893,715 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abschätzen vs abzuschätzen

Shared letters: abcehnstzä. Private to "abschätzen": -. Private to "abzuschätzen": u.

"abschätzen" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC  ·  "abzuschätzen" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "abschätzen" for "abzuschätzen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌʃɛt͡sn̩] versus [ˈapt͡suˌʃɛt͡sn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abschätzen" or "abzuschätzen"?
"abschätzen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,599 in our German list, against #35,037 for "abzuschätzen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "abschätzen" and "abzuschätzen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "abschätzen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "abzuschätzen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #893,715 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "abschätzen" and "abzuschätzen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abzuschalten vs abzuschätzen". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #893,715 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list