Which to use
“are” is a verb and “AW” is an abbrev - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,019
- “are” frequency rank
- #26,315
- “AW” frequency rank
- 30334
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | are | AW |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens des Verbs be | Kraftfahrzeugkennzeichen für Ahrweiler, Stadt Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler |
Where the eye mixes are and AW
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between are and AW
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: are is [ə] while AW is [aːˈveː]. 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 abbrev), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30334, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
are is recorded at frequency rank #4,019, classified as averb, pronounced [ə]. AW is at rank #26,315, tagged as anabbrev, pronounced [aːˈveː].
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 30334, this pair ranks #1,749,925 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of are vs AW
Shared letters: a. Private to "are": er. Private to "AW": w.
"are" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "AW" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "are" and "AW" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "are" or "AW" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "are" and "AW" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "are" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "AW" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,749,925 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "are" and "AW" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "AUD vs AW". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,749,925 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.