Which to use
“abweichen” is a verb and “Anzeichen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,757
- “abweichen” frequency rank
- #6,270
- “Anzeichen” frequency rank
- 20027
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abweichen | Anzeichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich von einer Norm oder Regularität unterscheiden | etwas Beobachtetes, das auf etwas anderes schließen lässt |
Where the eye mixes abweichen and Anzeichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses abweichen with Anzeichen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abweichen is [ˈapˌvaɪ̯çn̩] while Anzeichen is [ˈanˌt͡saɪ̯çn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20027, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abweichen is recorded at frequency rank #13,757, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌvaɪ̯çn̩]. Anzeichen is at rank #6,270, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌt͡saɪ̯çn̩].
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 20027, this pair ranks #1,902,077 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abweichen vs Anzeichen
Shared letters: acehin. Private to "abweichen": bw. Private to "Anzeichen": z.
"abweichen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCCVC · "Anzeichen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "abweichen" and "Anzeichen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "abweichen" vs "Anzeichen" - which ranks higher?
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 "abweichen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Anzeichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,902,077 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abweichen" and "Anzeichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abgewichen vs abweichen". 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 #1,902,077 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.