abzugebenvsanzugebenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#8,018
“abzugeben” frequency rank
#15,296
“anzugeben” frequency rank
23314
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abzugeben anzugeben
Definition erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abgeben erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs angeben

Where the eye mixes abzugeben and anzugeben

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abzugeben and anzugeben follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

9 ch
abzugeben
9 ch
anzugeben

Why the eye confuses abzugeben with anzugeben

A purely visual mix-up. abzugeben ([ˈapt͡suˌɡeːbn̩]) and anzugeben ([ˈant͡suˌɡeːbn̩]) 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 a single letter - b in “abzugeben” becomes n in “anzugeben”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23314, 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]. anzugeben is at rank #15,296, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈant͡suˌɡeːbn̩].

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 23314, this pair ranks #1,862,884 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of abzugeben vs anzugeben

Shared letters: abegnuz. Private to "abzugeben": -. Private to "anzugeben": -.

"abzugeben" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC  ·  "anzugeben" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abzugeben ← abbzugeben · abuzgeben · abzgueben · abzuegben · abzugbeen · abzugebben · abzugebenn · abzugebne
  • anzugeben ← annzugeben · anuzgeben · anzgueben · anzuegben · anzugbeen · anzugebben · anzugebenn · anzugebne

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abzugeben" and "anzugeben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapt͡suˌɡeːbn̩] versus [ˈant͡suˌɡeːbn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "abzugeben" or "anzugeben" show up more?
"abzugeben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,018 in our German list, against #15,296 for "anzugeben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "anzugeben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,862,884 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "abzugeben" and "anzugeben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anzugeben vs Anzügen". 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 #1,862,884 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list