Which to use
“abzuheben” and “abzulegen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,557
- “abzuheben” frequency rank
- #21,151
- “abzulegen” frequency rank
- 59708
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abzuheben | abzulegen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abheben | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ablegen |
Where the eye mixes abzuheben and abzulegen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses abzuheben with abzulegen
A purely visual mix-up. abzuheben ([ˈapt͡suˌheːbn̩]) 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 59708, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abzuheben is recorded at frequency rank #38,557, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌheːbn̩]. 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 59708, this pair ranks #814,382 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abzuheben vs abzulegen
Shared letters: abenuz. Private to "abzuheben": h. Private to "abzulegen": gl.
"abzuheben" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC · "abzulegen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abzuheben" for "abzulegen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "abzuheben" or "abzulegen" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "abzuheben" 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 #814,382 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abzuheben" and "abzulegen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abzuheben vs abzulesen". 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 #814,382 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.