Which to use
“abzugeben” and “abzulesen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,018
- “abzugeben” frequency rank
- #42,989
- “abzulesen” frequency rank
- 51007
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abzugeben | abzulesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abgeben | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ablesen |
Where the eye mixes abzugeben and abzulesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. abzugeben and abzulesen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses abzugeben with abzulesen
A purely visual mix-up. abzugeben ([ˈapt͡suˌɡeːbn̩]) and abzulesen ([ˈapt͡suˌleːzn̩]) 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 51007, 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]. abzulesen is at rank #42,989, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌleːzn̩].
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 51007, this pair ranks #1,152,068 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abzugeben vs abzulesen
Shared letters: abenuz. Private to "abzugeben": g. Private to "abzulesen": ls.
"abzugeben" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC · "abzulesen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "abzugeben" and "abzulesen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "abzugeben" or "abzulesen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "abzugeben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzulesen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,152,068 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abzugeben" and "abzulesen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abzulesen vs abzuweisen". 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 #1,152,068 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.