Which to use
“abzulegen” and “abzulehnen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,151
- “abzulegen” frequency rank
- #15,808
- “abzulehnen” frequency rank
- 36959
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abzulegen | abzulehnen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ablegen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ablehnen |
Where the eye mixes abzulegen and abzulehnen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abzulegen runs 9 letters (VCCVCVCVC) against abzulehnen's 10 (VCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: abzulegen vs abzulehnen
A purely visual mix-up. abzulegen ([ˈapt͡suˌleːɡn̩]) and abzulehnen ([ˈapt͡suˌleːnən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36959, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abzulegen is recorded at frequency rank #21,151, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌleːɡn̩]. abzulehnen is at rank #15,808, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌleːnən].
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 36959, this pair ranks #1,602,341 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abzulegen vs abzulehnen
Shared letters: abelnuz. Private to "abzulegen": g. Private to "abzulehnen": h.
"abzulegen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC · "abzulehnen" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abzulegen ← abbzulegen · abuzlegen · abzluegen · abzuelgen · abzuleegn · abzulegenn · abzuleggen · abzulegne
- abzulehnen ← abbzulehnen · abuzlehnen · abzluehnen · abzuelhnen · abzulehenn · abzulehhnen · abzulehnenn · abzulehnne
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abzulegen" for "abzulehnen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "abzulegen" vs "abzulehnen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "abzulegen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzulehnen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,602,341 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abzulegen" and "abzulehnen" 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 #1,602,341 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.