anlassenvsanpassenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#46,468
“anlassen” frequency rank
#6,268
“anpassen” frequency rank
52736
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature anlassen anpassen
Definition etwas in Funktion setzen etwas passend machen, angleichen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set anlassen and anpassen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
anlassen
8 ch
anpassen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. anlassen ([ˈanˌlasn̩]) and anpassen ([ˈanˌpasn̩]) 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 - l in “anlassen” becomes p in “anpassen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52736, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

anlassen is recorded at frequency rank #46,468, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌlasn̩]. anpassen is at rank #6,268, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌpasn̩].

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 52736, this pair ranks #1,085,245 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of anlassen vs anpassen

Shared letters: aens. Private to "anlassen": l. Private to "anpassen": p.

"anlassen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC  ·  "anpassen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • anlassenalnassen · analssen · anlasen · anlasesn · anlassenn · anlassne · anlaßen · anllassen
  • anpassenanapssen · annpassen · anpasen · anpasesn · anpassenn · anpassne · anpaßen · anppassen

Frequency comparison

anlassen#46,468
anpassen#6,268

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "anlassen" and "anpassen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌlasn̩] versus [ˈanˌpasn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "anlassen" or "anpassen"?
"anpassen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,268 in our German list, against #46,468 for "anlassen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering anlassen vs anpassen

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 “anlassen” 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