Which to use
“abzulegen” and “abzulenken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,151
- “abzulegen” frequency rank
- #16,895
- “abzulenken” frequency rank
- 38046
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abzulegen | abzulenken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ablegen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ablenken |
Where the eye mixes abzulegen and abzulenken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abzulegen runs 9 letters (VCCVCVCVC) against abzulenken's 10 (VCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between abzulegen and abzulenken
A purely visual mix-up. abzulegen ([ˈapt͡suˌleːɡn̩]) and abzulenken ([ˈapt͡suˌlɛŋkn̩]) 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 38046, 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]. abzulenken is at rank #16,895, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌlɛŋkn̩].
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 38046, this pair ranks #1,574,230 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abzulegen vs abzulenken
Shared letters: abelnuz. Private to "abzulegen": g. Private to "abzulenken": k.
"abzulegen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC · "abzulenken" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abzulegen ← abbzulegen · abuzlegen · abzluegen · abzuelgen · abzuleegn · abzulegenn · abzuleggen · abzulegne
- abzulenken ← abbzulenken · abuzlenken · abzluenken · abzuelnken · abzuleknen · abzulenekn · abzulenkenn · abzulenkken
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "abzulegen" and "abzulenken" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "abzulegen" vs "abzulenken" - which ranks higher?
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 "abzulegen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzulenken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,574,230 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abzulegen" and "abzulenken" 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 #1,574,230 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.