Which to use
“abschneiden” and “abzuschneiden” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,819
- “abschneiden” frequency rank
- #34,501
- “abzuschneiden” frequency rank
- 43320
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abschneiden | abzuschneiden |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas abtrennen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abschneiden |
Where the eye mixes abschneiden and abzuschneiden
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. abschneiden runs 11 letters (VCCCCCVVCVC) against abzuschneiden's 13 (VCCVCCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: abschneiden vs abzuschneiden
A purely visual mix-up. abschneiden ([ˈapˌʃnaɪ̯dn̩]) and abzuschneiden ([ˈapt͡suˌʃnaɪ̯dn̩]) 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 43320, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abschneiden is recorded at frequency rank #8,819, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌʃnaɪ̯dn̩]. abzuschneiden is at rank #34,501, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌʃnaɪ̯dn̩].
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 43320, this pair ranks #1,421,744 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abschneiden vs abzuschneiden
Shared letters: abcdehins. Private to "abschneiden": -. Private to "abzuschneiden": uz.
"abschneiden" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCCVVCVC · "abzuschneiden" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abschneiden ← abbschneiden · abcshneiden · abscchneiden · abscheniden · abschhneiden · abschnedien · abschneidden · abschneidenn
- abzuschneiden ← abbzuschneiden · abuzschneiden · abzsuchneiden · abzucshneiden · abzuscchneiden · abzuscheniden · abzuschhneiden · abzuschnedien
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abschneiden" for "abzuschneiden" ever safe?
Frequency check: "abschneiden" vs "abzuschneiden" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "abschneiden" and "abzuschneiden" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "abschneiden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzuschneiden" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,421,744 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abschneiden" and "abzuschneiden" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abschneiden vs abschneidet". 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 #1,421,744 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.