AbwahlvsAbwehrWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,003
“Abwahl” frequency rank
#6,138
“Abwehr” frequency rank
47141
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abwahl Abwehr
Definition Wahl, bei der ein anderer Kandidat als der wieder kandidierende Amtsinhaber gewählt wird Maßnahme, um einen Angriff oder dessen beabsichtigte Auswirkung zu stoppen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Abwahl and Abwehr apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Abwahl
6 ch
Abwehr

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Abwahl ([ˈapˌvaːl]) and Abwehr ([ˈapˌveːɐ̯]) 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 47141, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Abwahl is recorded at frequency rank #41,003, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌvaːl]. Abwehr is at rank #6,138, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌveːɐ̯].

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 47141, this pair ranks #1,294,765 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Abwahl vs Abwehr

Shared letters: abhw. Private to "Abwahl": l. Private to "Abwehr": er.

"Abwahl" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "Abwehr" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Abwahlabawhl · abbwahl · abwahhl · abwahll · abwalh · abwhal · abwwahl · awbahl
  • Abwehrabbwehr · abewhr · abwehhr · abwehrr · abwerh · abwher · abwwehr · awbehr

Frequency comparison

Abwahl#41,003
Abwehr#6,138

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Abwahl" and "Abwehr" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌvaːl] versus [ˈapˌveːɐ̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Abwahl" or "Abwehr"?
"Abwehr" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,138 in our German list, against #41,003 for "Abwahl". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Abwahl vs Abwehr

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 “Abwahl” 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