abzulegenvsabzulesenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“abzulegen” and “abzulesen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#21,151
“abzulegen” frequency rank
#42,989
“abzulesen” frequency rank
64140
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abzulegen abzulesen
Definition erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ablegen erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ablesen

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
abzulegen
9 ch
abzulesen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abzulegen ([ˈapt͡suˌleːɡn̩]) and abzulesen ([ˈapt͡suˌleːzn̩]) 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 a single letter - g in “abzulegen” becomes s in “abzulesen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64140, 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]. abzulesen is at rank #42,989, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌleːzn̩].

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 64140, this pair ranks #652,019 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abzulegen vs abzulesen

Shared letters: abelnuz. Private to "abzulegen": g. Private to "abzulesen": s.

"abzulegen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC  ·  "abzulesen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abzulegenabbzulegen · abuzlegen · abzluegen · abzuelgen · abzuleegn · abzulegenn · abzuleggen · abzulegne
  • abzulesenabbzulesen · abuzlesen · abzluesen · abzuelsen · abzuleesn · abzulesenn · abzulesne · abzulessen

Frequency comparison

abzulegen#21,151
abzulesen#42,989

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abzulegen" and "abzulesen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapt͡suˌleːɡn̩] versus [ˈapt͡suˌleːzn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abzulegen" or "abzulesen"?
"abzulegen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,151 in our German list, against #42,989 for "abzulesen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abzulegen vs abzulesen

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