Which to use
“Abstand” and “Abständen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,010
- “Abstand” frequency rank
- #11,161
- “Abständen” frequency rank
- 13171
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Abstand | Abständen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | räumlicher oder zeitlicher Zwischenraum, räumliche Entfernung zwischen zwei Punkten, Zeitabschnitt zwischen zwei Zeitpunkten auch im übertragenen Sinn | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Abstand |
Where the eye mixes Abstand and Abständen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Abstand runs 7 letters (VCCCVCC) against Abständen's 9 (VCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Abstand with Abständen
A purely visual mix-up. Abstand ([ˈapˌʃtant]) and Abständen ([ˈapˌʃtɛndn̩]) 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 13171, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Abstand is recorded at frequency rank #2,010, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌʃtant]. Abständen is at rank #11,161, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌʃtɛndn̩].
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 13171, this pair ranks #1,959,676 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Abstand vs Abständen
Shared letters: abdnst. Private to "Abstand": -. Private to "Abständen": eä.
"Abstand" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC · "Abständen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Abstand ← abbstand · absatnd · absstand · abstadn · abstandd · abstannd · abstnad · absttand
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Abstand" for "Abständen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Abstand" vs "Abständen" - which ranks higher?
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 "Abstand" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Abständen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,959,676 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Abstand" and "Abständen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Abständen vs abstauben". 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 #1,959,676 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.