abweichendvsAbzeichenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: abweichend is a verb, Abzeichen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“abweichend” is a verb and “Abzeichen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#18,791
“abweichend” frequency rank
#16,075
“Abzeichen” frequency rank
34866
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abweichend Abzeichen
Definition Partizip Präsens des Verbs abweichen eine tragbare Kopie eines Zeichens, eines grafischen Symbols

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abweichend and Abzeichen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
abweichend
9 ch
Abzeichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abweichend is [ˈapˌvaɪ̯çn̩t] while Abzeichen is [ˈapˌt͡saɪ̯çn̩]. 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 34866, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abweichend is recorded at frequency rank #18,791, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌvaɪ̯çn̩t]. Abzeichen is at rank #16,075, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌt͡saɪ̯çn̩].

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 34866, this pair ranks #1,653,509 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of abweichend vs Abzeichen

Shared letters: abcehin. Private to "abweichend": dw. Private to "Abzeichen": z.

"abweichend" · 10 letters · shape VCCVVCCVCC  ·  "Abzeichen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abweichendabbweichend · abewichend · abwecihend · abweicchend · abweicehnd · abweichedn · abweichendd · abweichennd
  • Abzeichenabbzeichen · abezichen · abzecihen · abzeicchen · abzeicehn · abzeichenn · abzeichhen · abzeichne

Frequency comparison

abweichend#18,791
Abzeichen#16,075

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abweichend" and "Abzeichen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "abweichend" is a verb and "Abzeichen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "abweichend" or "Abzeichen"?
"Abzeichen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,075 in our German list, against #18,791 for "abweichend". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abweichend vs Abzeichen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “abweichend”; for a noun, it's “Abzeichen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “abweichend” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list