AnlassvsAnlässeWhich spelling fits?

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 eye mixes Anlass and Anlässe

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

6 ch
Anlass
7 ch
Anlässe

Why the eye confuses Anlass with Anlässe

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Anlass" for "Anlässe" ever safe?
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.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Anlass" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Anlässe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,830,116 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Anlass" and "Anlässe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Anlässe vs Anläufe". 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 #1,830,116 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