Which to use
“abzugeben” and “abzulegen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,018
- “abzugeben” frequency rank
- #21,151
- “abzulegen” frequency rank
- 29169
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abzugeben | abzulegen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abgeben | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ablegen |
Where the eye mixes abzugeben and abzulegen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. abzugeben and abzulegen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between abzugeben and abzulegen
A purely visual mix-up. abzugeben ([ˈapt͡suˌɡeːbn̩]) and abzulegen ([ˈapt͡suˌleːɡn̩]) 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 29169, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abzugeben is recorded at frequency rank #8,018, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌɡeːbn̩]. abzulegen is at rank #21,151, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌleːɡn̩].
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 29169, this pair ranks #1,771,755 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abzugeben vs abzulegen
Shared letters: abegnuz. Private to "abzugeben": -. Private to "abzulegen": l.
"abzugeben" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC · "abzulegen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "abzugeben" and "abzulegen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "abzugeben" or "abzulegen" show up more?
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 "abzugeben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzulegen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,771,755 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abzugeben" and "abzulegen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abgelegen vs abzulegen". 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 #1,771,755 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.