Which to use
“abschreiben” is a verb and “Abschreibung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,402
- “abschreiben” frequency rank
- #43,683
- “Abschreibung” frequency rank
- 67085
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abschreiben | Abschreibung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | den Text eines anderen übernehmen, kopieren und ihn als eigenes Werk ausgeben | die Verringerung des Buchwerts von Sachanlagen aufgrund von Abnutzung, oder von Forderungen aufgrund von Uneinbringlichkeit |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abschreiben and Abschreibung apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
abschreiben and Abschreibung form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67085, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abschreiben is recorded at frequency rank #23,402, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌʃʁaɪ̯bn̩]. Abschreibung is at rank #43,683, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapʃʁaɪ̯bʊŋ].
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 67085, this pair ranks #551,753 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abschreiben" and "Abschreibung" be used interchangeably?
Remembering abschreiben vs Abschreibung
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “abschreiben”; for a noun, it's “Abschreibung”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “abschreiben” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable