anfassenvsAnlässeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: anfassen is a verb, Anlässe is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“anfassen” is a verb and “Anlässe” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,037
“anfassen” frequency rank
#23,416
“Anlässe” frequency rank
33453
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature anfassen Anlässe
Definition mit der Hand oder den Fingern absichtlich berühren Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Anlass

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set anfassen and Anlässe apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
anfassen
7 ch
Anlässe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: anfassen is [ˈanˌfasn̩] while Anlässe is [ˈanlɛsə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33453, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

anfassen is recorded at frequency rank #10,037, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌfasn̩]. Anlässe is at rank #23,416, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanlɛsə].

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 33453, this pair ranks #1,685,672 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of anfassen vs Anlässe

Shared letters: aens. Private to "anfassen": f. Private to "Anlässe": .

"anfassen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC  ·  "Anlässe" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • anfassenafnassen · anafssen · anfasen · anfasesn · anfassenn · anfassne · anfaßen · anffassen

Frequency comparison

anfassen#10,037
Anlässe#23,416

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "anfassen" and "Anlässe" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "anfassen" is a verb and "Anlässe" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "anfassen" or "Anlässe"?
"anfassen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,037 in our German list, against #23,416 for "Anlässe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering anfassen vs Anlässe

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “anfassen”; for a noun, it's “Anlässe”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “anfassen” 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