AchsenvsArsenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#16,622
“Achsen” frequency rank
#29,002
“Arsen” frequency rank
45624
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Achsen Arsen
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Achse das 33. chemische Element im Periodensystem, ein Halbmetall

Where the eye mixes Achsen and Arsen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Achsen
5 ch
Arsen

Look-alike desk: Achsen vs Arsen

A purely visual mix-up. Achsen ([ˈaksn̩]) and Arsen ([aʁˈzeːn]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45624, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Achsen is recorded at frequency rank #16,622, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaksn̩]. Arsen is at rank #29,002, tagged as anoun, pronounced [aʁˈzeːn].

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 45624, this pair ranks #1,346,694 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Achsen vs Arsen

Shared letters: aens. Private to "Achsen": ch. Private to "Arsen": r.

"Achsen" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC  ·  "Arsen" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Achsenacchsen · achesn · achhsen · achsenn · achsne · achssen · acshen · ahcsen
  • Arsenaresn · arrsen · arsenn · arsne · asren

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Achsen" and "Arsen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaksn̩] versus [aʁˈzeːn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Achsen" or "Arsen" show up more?
"Achsen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,622 in our German list, against #29,002 for "Arsen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Achsen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Arsen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,346,694 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Achsen" and "Arsen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ärgsten vs Arsen". 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 #1,346,694 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list