Which to use
“abbauen” and “aufbauen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,281
- “abbauen” frequency rank
- #4,677
- “aufbauen” frequency rank
- 19958
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abbauen | aufbauen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | bauliche und andere (auch zeitweilig errichteten) technische oder künstliche Anlagen, Einrichtungen, Aufbauten und Ähnliches beseitigen, zurückbauen | eine bauliche Anlage errichten |
Where the eye mixes abbauen and aufbauen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. abbauen runs 7 letters (VCCVVVC) against aufbauen's 8 (VVCCVVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between abbauen and aufbauen
A purely visual mix-up. abbauen ([ˈapˌbaʊ̯ən]) and aufbauen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌbaʊ̯ən]) 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 19958, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abbauen is recorded at frequency rank #15,281, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌbaʊ̯ən]. aufbauen is at rank #4,677, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌbaʊ̯ən].
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 19958, this pair ranks #1,902,822 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abbauen vs aufbauen
Shared letters: abenu. Private to "abbauen": -. Private to "aufbauen": f.
"abbauen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVVC · "aufbauen" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abbauen" for "aufbauen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "abbauen" or "aufbauen"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "abbauen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufbauen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,902,822 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abbauen" and "aufbauen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abbauen vs absaugen". 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 #1,902,822 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.