abzustellenvsanzustellenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,596
“abzustellen” frequency rank
#29,469
“anzustellen” frequency rank
57065
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abzustellen anzustellen
Definition erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abstellen erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs anstellen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abzustellen and anzustellen apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
abzustellen
11 ch
anzustellen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abzustellen ([ˈapt͡suˌʃtɛlən]) and anzustellen ([ˈant͡suˌʃtɛlən]) 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 - b in “abzustellen” becomes n in “anzustellen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57065, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abzustellen is recorded at frequency rank #27,596, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌʃtɛlən]. anzustellen is at rank #29,469, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈant͡suˌʃtɛlən].

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 57065, this pair ranks #915,916 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abzustellen vs anzustellen

Shared letters: aelnstuz. Private to "abzustellen": b. Private to "anzustellen": -.

"abzustellen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC  ·  "anzustellen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abzustellenabbzustellen · abuzstellen · abzsutellen · abzusetllen · abzusstellen · abzusteleln · abzustelen · abzustellenn
  • anzustellenannzustellen · anuzstellen · anzsutellen · anzusetllen · anzusstellen · anzusteleln · anzustelen · anzustellenn

Frequency comparison

abzustellen#27,596
anzustellen#29,469

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abzustellen" and "anzustellen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapt͡suˌʃtɛlən] versus [ˈant͡suˌʃtɛlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abzustellen" or "anzustellen"?
"abzustellen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,596 in our German list, against #29,469 for "anzustellen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abzustellen vs anzustellen

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 “abzustellen” 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