AbtreibungvsAbtrennungWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#14,729
“Abtreibung” frequency rank
#36,160
“Abtrennung” frequency rank
50889
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abtreibung Abtrennung
Definition Eingriff zur gezielten Abtötung und Entfernung eines Embryos beziehungsweise Fötus aus der Gebärmutter Entfernung/Absonderung eines Teils von einem Ganzen

Where the eye mixes Abtreibung and Abtrennung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Abtreibung (VCCCVVCVCC) and Abtrennung (VCCCVCCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

10 ch
Abtreibung
10 ch
Abtrennung

Look-alike desk: Abtreibung vs Abtrennung

A purely visual mix-up. Abtreibung ([ˈapˌtʁaɪ̯bʊŋ]) and Abtrennung ([ˈapˌtʁɛnʊŋ]) 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 50889, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Abtreibung is recorded at frequency rank #14,729, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌtʁaɪ̯bʊŋ]. Abtrennung is at rank #36,160, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌtʁɛnʊŋ].

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 50889, this pair ranks #1,156,457 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Abtreibung vs Abtrennung

Shared letters: abegnrtu. Private to "Abtreibung": i. Private to "Abtrennung": -.

"Abtreibung" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVVCVCC  ·  "Abtrennung" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Abtreibung ← abbtreibung · abrteibung · abteribung · abtrebiung · abtreibbung · abtreibnug · abtreibugn · abtreibungg
  • Abtrennung ← abbtrennung · abrtennung · abternnung · abtrennnug · abtrennugn · abtrennungg · abtrennunng · abtrenung

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Abtreibung" and "Abtrennung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌtʁaɪ̯bʊŋ] versus [ˈapˌtʁɛnʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Abtreibung" vs "Abtrennung" - which ranks higher?
"Abtreibung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,729 in our German list, against #36,160 for "Abtrennung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Abtreibung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Abtrennung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,156,457 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Abtreibung" and "Abtrennung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abtrennen vs Abtrennung". 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 #1,156,457 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list