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 eye mixes abzustellen and anzustellen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. abzustellen and anzustellen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses abzustellen with anzustellen
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
- abzustellen ← abbzustellen · abuzstellen · abzsutellen · abzusetllen · abzusstellen · abzusteleln · abzustelen · abzustellenn
- anzustellen ← annzustellen · anuzstellen · anzsutellen · anzusetllen · anzusstellen · anzusteleln · anzustelen · anzustellenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abzustellen" and "anzustellen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "abzustellen" vs "anzustellen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "abzustellen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "anzustellen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #915,916 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abzustellen" and "anzustellen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anzustellen vs auszustellen". 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 #915,916 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.