anstellenvsAnstellungWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#7,718
“anstellen” frequency rank
#12,448
“Anstellung” frequency rank
20166
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature anstellen Anstellung
Definition einen Gegenstand an einen anderen anlehnen Vereinbarung, dass jemand eine bestimmte Arbeitsstelle einnehmen soll

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set anstellen and Anstellung apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
anstellen
10 ch
Anstellung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

anstellen and Anstellung form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20166, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

anstellen is recorded at frequency rank #7,718, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʃtɛlən]. Anstellung is at rank #12,448, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌʃtɛlʊŋ].

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 20166, this pair ranks #1,900,558 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

anstellen#7,718
Anstellung#12,448

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "anstellen" and "Anstellung" be used interchangeably?
No, "anstellen" and "Anstellung" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering anstellen vs Anstellung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “anstellen”; for a noun, it's “Anstellung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “anstellen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list