AbschlussvsAbschlüsseConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#1,343
“Abschluss” frequency rank
#19,111
“Abschlüsse” frequency rank
20454
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abschluss Abschlüsse
Definition der Verschluss oder die Isolierung eines Gegenstandes Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Abschluss

Where the eye mixes Abschluss and Abschlüsse

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Abschluss runs 9 letters (VCCCCCVCC) against Abschlüsse's 10 (VCCCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
Abschluss
10 ch
Abschlüsse

Why the eye confuses Abschluss with Abschlüsse

A purely visual mix-up. Abschluss ([ˈapˌʃlʊs]) and Abschlüsse ([ˈapˌʃlʏsə]) 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 20454, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Abschluss is recorded at frequency rank #1,343, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌʃlʊs]. Abschlüsse is at rank #19,111, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌʃlʏsə].

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 20454, this pair ranks #1,897,489 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Abschluss vs Abschlüsse

Shared letters: abchls. Private to "Abschluss": u. Private to "Abschlüsse": eü.

"Abschluss" · 9 letters · shape VCCCCCVCC  ·  "Abschlüsse" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Abschluss ← abbschluss · abcshluss · abscchluss · abschhluss · abschlluss · abschlsus · abschlus · abschluß

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Abschluss" for "Abschlüsse" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌʃlʊs] versus [ˈapˌʃlʏsə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Abschluss" or "Abschlüsse" show up more?
"Abschluss" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,343 in our German list, against #19,111 for "Abschlüsse". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "Abschluss" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Abschlüsse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,897,489 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Abschluss" and "Abschlüsse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Abschlüsse vs Anschlüssen". 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 #1,897,489 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