Which to use
“ähneln” and “ähnelt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,065
- “ähneln” frequency rank
- #11,797
- “ähnelt” frequency rank
- 27862
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ähneln | ähnelt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | weitgehend übereinstimmen, sich wenig unterscheiden | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs ähneln |
Where the eye mixes ähneln and ähnelt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. ähneln and ähnelt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between ähneln and ähnelt
A purely visual mix-up. ähneln ([ˈɛːnl̩n]) and ähnelt ([ˈɛːnl̩t]) 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 - n in “ähneln” becomes t in “ähnelt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27862, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ähneln is recorded at frequency rank #16,065, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɛːnl̩n]. ähnelt is at rank #11,797, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈɛːnl̩t].
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 27862, this pair ranks #1,794,617 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ähneln vs ähnelt
Shared letters: ehlnä. Private to "ähneln": -. Private to "ähnelt": t.
"ähneln" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "ähnelt" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ähneln" and "ähnelt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ähneln" or "ähnelt"?
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 "ähneln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ähnelt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,794,617 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ähneln" and "ähnelt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ahnden vs ähneln". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,794,617 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.