Which to use
“Abteilung” and “Abtreibung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,281
- “Abteilung” frequency rank
- #14,729
- “Abtreibung” frequency rank
- 17010
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Abteilung | Abtreibung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Teil einer größeren Einheit (Unternehmen, Kaufhaus oder Ähnlichem) | Eingriff zur gezielten Abtötung und Entfernung eines Embryos beziehungsweise Fötus aus der Gebärmutter |
Where the eye mixes Abteilung and Abtreibung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Abteilung with Abtreibung
A purely visual mix-up. Abteilung ([apˈtaɪ̯lʊŋ]) and Abtreibung ([ˈapˌtʁaɪ̯bʊŋ]) 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 17010, 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]. Abtreibung is at rank #14,729, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌtʁaɪ̯bʊŋ].
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 17010, this pair ranks #1,931,129 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Abteilung vs Abtreibung
Shared letters: abegintu. Private to "Abteilung": l. Private to "Abtreibung": r.
"Abteilung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCVCC · "Abtreibung" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Abteilung ← abbteilung · abetilung · abteillung · abteilnug · abteilugn · abteilungg · abteilunng · abteiulng
- Abtreibung ← abbtreibung · abrteibung · abteribung · abtrebiung · abtreibbung · abtreibnug · abtreibugn · abtreibungg
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Abteilung" and "Abtreibung" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Abteilung" or "Abtreibung" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Abteilung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Abtreibung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,931,129 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Abteilung" and "Abtreibung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abtreiben vs Abtreibung". 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 #1,931,129 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.