Anlass vs Anlässe, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#2,231
“Anlass” frequency rank: #23,416
“Anlässe” frequency rank: 25647
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Anlass	Anlässe
Definition	ein Grund, der den Zweck einer Handlung oder eines Verhaltens erklärt; beziehungsweise ein Beweggrund	Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Anlass

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch

Anlass

7 ch

Anlässe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Anlass ([ˈanˌlas]) and Anlässe ([ˈanlɛsə]) 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 25647, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Anlass is recorded at frequency rank #2,231, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌlas]. 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 25647, this pair ranks #1,830,116 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Anlass vs Anlässe

Shared letters: alns. Private to "Anlass": -. Private to "Anlässe": eä.

"Anlass" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "Anlässe" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

Anlass ← alnass · analss · anlas · anlaß · anllass · anlsas · annlass · nalass

Frequency comparison

Anlass#2,231

Anlässe#23,416

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Anlass" and "Anlässe" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌlas] versus [ˈanlɛsə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "Anlass" or "Anlässe"?

"Anlass" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,231 in our German list, against #23,416 for "Anlässe". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Anlass vs Anlässe

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 “Anlass” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable