anfasstvsAnlassWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#48,698
“anfasst” frequency rank
#2,231
“Anlass” frequency rank
50929
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature anfasst Anlass
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs anfassen ein Grund, der den Zweck einer Handlung oder eines Verhaltens erklärt; beziehungsweise ein Beweggrund

Where the eye mixes anfasst and Anlass

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. anfasst runs 7 letters (VCCVCCC) against Anlass's 6 (VCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
anfasst
6 ch
Anlass

Look-alike desk: anfasst vs Anlass

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: anfasst is [ˈanˌfast] while Anlass is [ˈanˌlas]. 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 50929, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

anfasst is recorded at frequency rank #48,698, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌfast]. Anlass is at rank #2,231, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌlas].

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 50929, this pair ranks #1,154,995 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of anfasst vs Anlass

Shared letters: ans. Private to "anfasst": ft. Private to "Anlass": l.

"anfasst" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC  ·  "Anlass" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • anfasst ← afnasst · anafsst · anfasstt · anfast · anfasts · anfaßt · anffasst · anfsast
  • Anlass ← alnass · analss · anlas · anlaß · anllass · anlsas · annlass · nalass

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "anfasst" and "Anlass" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "anfasst" is a verb and "Anlass" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "anfasst" or "Anlass"?
"Anlass" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,231 in our German list, against #48,698 for "anfasst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "anfasst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Anlass" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,154,995 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "anfasst" and "Anlass" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anfasst vs anpasst". 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 #1,154,995 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