Which to use
“Abteilung” and “Abteilungen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,281
- “Abteilung” frequency rank
- #7,710
- “Abteilungen” frequency rank
- 9991
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Abteilung | Abteilungen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Teil einer größeren Einheit (Unternehmen, Kaufhaus oder Ähnlichem) | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Abteilung |
Where the eye mixes Abteilung and Abteilungen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Abteilung runs 9 letters (VCCVVCVCC) against Abteilungen's 11 (VCCVVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Abteilung vs Abteilungen
A purely visual mix-up. Abteilung ([apˈtaɪ̯lʊŋ]) and Abteilungen ([apˈtaɪ̯lʊŋən]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Abteilung” sits inside “Abteilungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9991, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Abteilung is recorded at frequency rank #2,281, classified as anoun, pronounced [apˈtaɪ̯lʊŋ]. Abteilungen is at rank #7,710, tagged as anoun, pronounced [apˈtaɪ̯lʊŋən].
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 9991, this pair ranks #1,977,306 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Abteilung vs Abteilungen
Shared letters: abegilntu. Private to "Abteilung": -. Private to "Abteilungen": -.
"Abteilung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCVCC · "Abteilungen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Abteilung ← abbteilung · abetilung · abteillung · abteilnug · abteilugn · abteilungg · abteilunng · abteiulng
- Abteilungen ← abbteilungen · abetilungen · abteillungen · abteilnugen · abteilugnen · abteilunegn · abteilungenn · abteilunggen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Abteilung" and "Abteilungen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Abteilung" or "Abteilungen"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Abteilung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Abteilungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,977,306 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Abteilung" and "Abteilungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ableitungen vs Abteilungen". 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 #1,977,306 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.