Which to use
“abwehren” and “abzuwehren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,288
- “abwehren” frequency rank
- #27,176
- “abzuwehren” frequency rank
- 53464
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abwehren | abzuwehren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas oder jemanden zurückschlagen, um auf einen Angriff zu reagieren | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abwehren |
Where the eye mixes abwehren and abzuwehren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abwehren runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against abzuwehren's 10 (VCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: abwehren vs abzuwehren
A purely visual mix-up. abwehren ([ˈapˌveːʁən]) and abzuwehren ([ˈapt͡suˌveːʁən]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53464, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abwehren is recorded at frequency rank #26,288, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌveːʁən]. abzuwehren is at rank #27,176, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌveːʁən].
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 53464, this pair ranks #1,056,953 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abwehren vs abzuwehren
Shared letters: abehnrw. Private to "abwehren": -. Private to "abzuwehren": uz.
"abwehren" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "abzuwehren" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abwehren ← abbwehren · abewhren · abwehern · abwehhren · abwehrenn · abwehrne · abwehrren · abwerhen
- abzuwehren ← abbzuwehren · abuzwehren · abzuewhren · abzuwehern · abzuwehhren · abzuwehrenn · abzuwehrne · abzuwehrren
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abwehren" for "abzuwehren" ever safe?
Which is more common, "abwehren" or "abzuwehren"?
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 "abwehren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzuwehren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,056,953 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abwehren" and "abzuwehren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abzuwehren vs abzuweisen". 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 #1,056,953 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.