abwerfenvsanwerbenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,175
“abwerfen” frequency rank
#46,473
“anwerben” frequency rank
73648
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abwerfen anwerben
Definition hinunter werfen, sich einer Sache entledigen durch Werben für ein Sache gewinnen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abwerfen and anwerben apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
abwerfen
8 ch
anwerben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abwerfen ([ˈapˌvɛʁfn̩]) and anwerben ([ˈanˌvɛʁbn̩]) 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 73648, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abwerfen is recorded at frequency rank #27,175, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌvɛʁfn̩]. anwerben is at rank #46,473, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌvɛʁbn̩].

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 73648, this pair ranks #354,629 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of abwerfen vs anwerben

Shared letters: abenrw. Private to "abwerfen": f. Private to "anwerben": -.

"abwerfen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC  ·  "anwerben" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abwerfenabbwerfen · abewrfen · abwefren · abwerefn · abwerfenn · abwerffen · abwerfne · abwerrfen
  • anwerbenanewrben · annwerben · anwebren · anwerbben · anwerbenn · anwerbne · anwerebn · anwerrben

Frequency comparison

abwerfen#27,175
anwerben#46,473

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abwerfen" and "anwerben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌvɛʁfn̩] versus [ˈanˌvɛʁbn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abwerfen" or "anwerben"?
"abwerfen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,175 in our German list, against #46,473 for "anwerben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abwerfen vs anwerben

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 “abwerfen” 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