AbteilungvsAbweisungWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Abteilung” and “Abweisung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,281
“Abteilung” frequency rank
#49,444
“Abweisung” frequency rank
51725
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abteilung Abweisung
Definition Teil einer größeren Einheit (Unternehmen, Kaufhaus oder Ähnlichem) Nichtannahme oder Nichtstattgabe eines Anliegens oder Antrages

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Abteilung and Abweisung apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
Abteilung
9 ch
Abweisung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Abteilung ([apˈtaɪ̯lʊŋ]) and Abweisung ([ˈapˌvaɪ̯zʊŋ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51725, 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]. Abweisung is at rank #49,444, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌvaɪ̯zʊŋ].

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 51725, this pair ranks #1,124,467 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Abteilung vs Abweisung

Shared letters: abeginu. Private to "Abteilung": lt. Private to "Abweisung": sw.

"Abteilung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCVCC  ·  "Abweisung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Abteilungabbteilung · abetilung · abteillung · abteilnug · abteilugn · abteilungg · abteilunng · abteiulng
  • Abweisungabbweisung · abewisung · abweisnug · abweissung · abweisugn · abweisungg · abweisunng · abweiusng

Frequency comparison

Abteilung#2,281
Abweisung#49,444

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Abteilung" and "Abweisung" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([apˈtaɪ̯lʊŋ] versus [ˈapˌvaɪ̯zʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Abteilung" or "Abweisung"?
"Abteilung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,281 in our German list, against #49,444 for "Abweisung". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Abteilung vs Abweisung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Abteilung” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list