Which to use
“abzuhalten” and “abzuschalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,484
- “abzuhalten” frequency rank
- #30,425
- “abzuschalten” frequency rank
- 44909
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abzuhalten | abzuschalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abhalten | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abschalten |
Where the eye mixes abzuhalten and abzuschalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. abzuhalten runs 10 letters (VCCVCVCCVC) against abzuschalten's 12 (VCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abzuhalten with abzuschalten
A purely visual mix-up. abzuhalten ([ˈapt͡suˌhaltn̩]) and abzuschalten ([ˈapt͡suˌʃaltn̩]) 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 44909, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abzuhalten is recorded at frequency rank #14,484, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌhaltn̩]. abzuschalten is at rank #30,425, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌʃaltn̩].
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 44909, this pair ranks #1,370,712 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abzuhalten vs abzuschalten
Shared letters: abehlntuz. Private to "abzuhalten": -. Private to "abzuschalten": cs.
"abzuhalten" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC · "abzuschalten" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abzuhalten ← abbzuhalten · abuzhalten · abzhualten · abzuahlten · abzuhaletn · abzuhallten · abzuhaltenn · abzuhaltne
- abzuschalten ← abbzuschalten · abuzschalten · abzsuchalten · abzucshalten · abzuscahlten · abzuscchalten · abzuschaletn · abzuschallten
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abzuhalten" for "abzuschalten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "abzuhalten" vs "abzuschalten" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "abzuhalten" and "abzuschalten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "abzuhalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzuschalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,370,712 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abzuhalten" and "abzuschalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abzuschalten vs abzuschätzen". 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 #1,370,712 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.