Which to use
“abwenden” and “abzuwenden” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,145
- “abwenden” frequency rank
- #20,485
- “abzuwenden” frequency rank
- 38630
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abwenden | abzuwenden |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (sich) zur Seite wegdrehen; sich von jemandem zurückziehen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abwenden |
Where the eye mixes abwenden and abzuwenden
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abwenden runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against abzuwenden's 10 (VCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abwenden with abzuwenden
A purely visual mix-up. abwenden ([ˈapˌvɛndn̩]) and abzuwenden ([ˈapt͡suˌvɛndn̩]) 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 38630, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abwenden is recorded at frequency rank #18,145, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌvɛndn̩]. abzuwenden is at rank #20,485, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌvɛndn̩].
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 38630, this pair ranks #1,558,857 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abwenden vs abzuwenden
Shared letters: abdenw. Private to "abwenden": -. Private to "abzuwenden": uz.
"abwenden" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "abzuwenden" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abwenden ← abbwenden · abewnden · abwednen · abwendden · abwendenn · abwendne · abwenedn · abwennden
- abzuwenden ← abbzuwenden · abuzwenden · abzuewnden · abzuwednen · abzuwendden · abzuwendenn · abzuwendne · abzuwenedn
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "abwenden" and "abzuwenden" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "abwenden" vs "abzuwenden" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "abwenden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzuwenden" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,558,857 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abwenden" and "abzuwenden" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abzuweisen vs abzuwenden". 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 #1,558,857 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.