Which to use
“abzuschaffen” and “abzuschalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,152
- “abzuschaffen” frequency rank
- #30,425
- “abzuschalten” frequency rank
- 51577
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abzuschaffen | abzuschalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abschaffen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abschalten |
Where the eye mixes abzuschaffen and abzuschalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. abzuschaffen and abzuschalten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: abzuschaffen vs abzuschalten
A purely visual mix-up. abzuschaffen ([ˈapt͡suˌʃafn̩]) and abzuschalten ([ˈapt͡suˌʃaltn̩]) 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 51577, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abzuschaffen is recorded at frequency rank #21,152, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌʃafn̩]. abzuschalten is at rank #30,425, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌʃaltn̩].
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 51577, this pair ranks #1,130,147 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abzuschaffen vs abzuschalten
Shared letters: abcehnsuz. Private to "abzuschaffen": f. Private to "abzuschalten": lt.
"abzuschaffen" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC · "abzuschalten" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abzuschaffen ← abbzuschaffen · abuzschaffen · abzsuchaffen · abzucshaffen · abzuscahffen · abzuscchaffen · abzuschafefn · abzuschafen
- abzuschalten ← abbzuschalten · abuzschalten · abzsuchalten · abzucshalten · abzuscahlten · abzuscchalten · abzuschaletn · abzuschallten
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "abzuschaffen" and "abzuschalten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "abzuschaffen" or "abzuschalten" 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 "abzuschaffen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzuschalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,130,147 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abzuschaffen" and "abzuschalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abzuschalten vs abzuschätzen". 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 #1,130,147 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.