Which to use
“abzulehnen” and “abzunehmen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,808
- “abzulehnen” frequency rank
- #17,793
- “abzunehmen” frequency rank
- 33601
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abzulehnen | abzunehmen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ablehnen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abnehmen |
Where the eye mixes abzulehnen and abzunehmen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abzulehnen and abzunehmen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses abzulehnen with abzunehmen
A purely visual mix-up. abzulehnen ([ˈapt͡suˌleːnən]) and abzunehmen ([ˈapt͡suˌneːmən]) 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 33601, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abzulehnen is recorded at frequency rank #15,808, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌleːnən]. abzunehmen is at rank #17,793, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌneːmən].
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 33601, this pair ranks #1,682,251 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abzulehnen vs abzunehmen
Shared letters: abehnuz. Private to "abzulehnen": l. Private to "abzunehmen": m.
"abzulehnen" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC · "abzunehmen" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abzulehnen ← abbzulehnen · abuzlehnen · abzluehnen · abzuelhnen · abzulehenn · abzulehhnen · abzulehnenn · abzulehnne
- abzunehmen ← abbzunehmen · abuznehmen · abznuehmen · abzuenhmen · abzunehemn · abzunehhmen · abzunehmenn · abzunehmmen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abzulehnen" for "abzunehmen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "abzulehnen" or "abzunehmen" 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 "abzulehnen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzunehmen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,682,251 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abzulehnen" and "abzunehmen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abzulehnen 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 #1,682,251 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.