Which to use
“ad” and “an” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,700
- “ad” frequency rank
- #26
- “an” frequency rank
- 3726
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ad | an |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Richtung auf, zu, nach, sowohl räumlich als auch Ziel der Handlung: ad + Substantiv entspricht oft dem Dativobjekt im Deutschen | bestimmt ein Ziel, einen Zielpunkt, mit welchem etw. in Berührung kommt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ad and an apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
ad and an form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - d in “ad” becomes n in “an” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3726, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ad is recorded at frequency rank #3,700, classified as aprep, pronounced [ad]. an is at rank #26, tagged as aprep, pronounced [an].
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 3726, this pair ranks #1,999,523 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ad" and "an" be used interchangeably?
Remembering ad vs an
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 “ad” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable