Which to use
“abtreiben” is a verb and “Abtreibung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,685
- “abtreiben” frequency rank
- #14,729
- “Abtreibung” frequency rank
- 58414
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abtreiben | Abtreibung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas oder jemanden, welches oder welcher sich fliegend oder schwimmend bewegt, von einer Richtung ablenken | Eingriff zur gezielten Abtötung und Entfernung eines Embryos beziehungsweise Fötus aus der Gebärmutter |
Where the eye mixes abtreiben and Abtreibung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses abtreiben with Abtreibung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abtreiben is [ˈapˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩] while Abtreibung is [ˈapˌtʁaɪ̯bʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58414, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abtreiben is recorded at frequency rank #43,685, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩]. 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 58414, this pair ranks #863,655 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abtreiben vs Abtreibung
Shared letters: abeinrt. Private to "abtreiben": -. Private to "Abtreibung": gu.
"abtreiben" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCVC · "Abtreibung" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abtreiben ← abbtreiben · abrteiben · abteriben · abtrebien · abtreibben · abtreibenn · abtreibne · abtreiebn
- Abtreibung ← abbtreibung · abrteibung · abteribung · abtrebiung · abtreibbung · abtreibnug · abtreibugn · abtreibungg
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "abtreiben" and "Abtreibung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "abtreiben" or "Abtreibung" show up more?
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 "abtreiben" 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 #863,655 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abtreiben" and "Abtreibung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abgreifen vs abtreiben". 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 #863,655 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.