abzulegenvsabzulenkenWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abzulegen and abzulenken apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
abzulegen
10 ch
abzulenken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • abzulegenabbzulegen · abuzlegen · abzluegen · abzuelgen · abzuleegn · abzulegenn · abzuleggen · abzulegne
  • abzulenkenabbzulenken · abuzlenken · abzluenken · abzuelnken · abzuleknen · abzulenekn · abzulenkenn · abzulenkken

Frequency comparison

abzulegen#21,151
abzulenken#16,895

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abzulegen" and "abzulenken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapt͡suˌleːɡn̩] versus [ˈapt͡suˌlɛŋkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abzulegen" or "abzulenken"?
"abzulenken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,895 in our German list, against #21,151 for "abzulegen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abzulegen vs abzulenken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “abzulegen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list