Abbau

[ˈapˌbaʊ̯]

/[ˈapˌbaʊ̯]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Abbau” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #6,497 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,497
frequency rank, German
5
letters
4
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - die Beseitigung, der Rückbau von baulichen und anderen (auch zeitweilig errichteten) technischen oder künstlichen Anlagen, Einrichtungen, Aufbauten und Ähnlichem

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Abbau vs abu
40% similar
Abbau vs alba
40% similar
Abbau vs Abby
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Abbau
PropertyValue
HeadwordAbbau
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈapˌbaʊ̯]
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,497
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Abbau” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Abbau lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Abbau is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈapˌbaʊ̯]. Corpus data places it at rank #6,497 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for Abbau, with forms such as "ababu", "abau", and "abbua". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "abu", "alba", "Abby", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Abbau, spelled A-B-B-A-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    die Beseitigung, der Rückbau von baulichen und anderen (auch zeitweilig errichteten) technischen oder künstlichen Anlagen, Einrichtungen, Aufbauten und Ähnlichem
  2. 2
    die Gewinnung von Rohstoffen, Baustoffen vor allem durch Bergbau und ähnliche Technologien
  3. 3
    die Verringerung, Beseitigung, Minderung von Beständen
  4. 4
    der Übergang von komplexeren zu einfacheren Strukturen und Formen, die Umwandlung zu geringer wertigen Zuständen oder Qualitäten
  5. 5
    abseits einer Ortslage im 19. Jahrhundert entstandene Siedlerstelle auf privatem Grund und Boden, jedoch ohne landwirtschaftliche Nutzflächen ; Plural: Abbaue

Synonyms

AuflösungBeseitigungDemontageDestruktionRückbauZerstörungBaustoffgewinnungBrennstoffgewinnungErzgewinnungRohstoffgewinnungBeseitigungEntfernungEnthemmungEntwirrungMinderungSimplifizierungVereinfachungVerringerungZersetzungBrink

Antonyms

AufbauRekultivierung

This word in other languages

dismantling(English)desmantelamiento(Español)démantèlement(Français)extração(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ababu,abau,abbua,babau

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Abbau - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ababu2abau1abbua2babau2
Edit distance from "Abbau"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Abbau"?
"Abbau" is spelled A-B-B-A-U. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈapˌbaʊ̯].
What does "Abbau" mean?
As a noun, "Abbau" means: die Beseitigung, der Rückbau von baulichen und anderen (auch zeitweilig errichteten) technischen oder künstlichen Anlagen, Einrichtungen, Aufbauten und Ähnlichem
What words are commonly confused with "Abbau"?
"Abbau" is commonly confused with "abu", "alba", "Abby". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Abbau"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Abbau" is [ˈapˌbaʊ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Abbau" come from?
"Abbau" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Abbau”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is A-B-B-A-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈapˌbaʊ̯] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “abu” - see the side-by-side comparison. Abbau vs abu
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list