abdeckenvsaufdeckenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#16,341
“abdecken” frequency rank
#23,017
“aufdecken” frequency rank
39358
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abdecken aufdecken
Definition eine Decke entfernen eine Decke zurückschlagen (zum Beispiel auf einem Bett)

Where the eye mixes abdecken and aufdecken

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. abdecken runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against aufdecken's 9 (VVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
abdecken
9 ch
aufdecken

Look-alike desk: abdecken vs aufdecken

A purely visual mix-up. abdecken ([ˈapˌdɛkn̩]) and aufdecken ([ˈaʊ̯fˌdɛkn̩]) 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 39358, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abdecken is recorded at frequency rank #16,341, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌdɛkn̩]. aufdecken is at rank #23,017, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌdɛkn̩].

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 39358, this pair ranks #1,538,962 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of abdecken vs aufdecken

Shared letters: acdekn. Private to "abdecken": b. Private to "aufdecken": fu.

"abdecken" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC  ·  "aufdecken" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abdecken ← abbdecken · abdceken · abddecken · abdeccken · abdecekn · abdeckenn · abdeckken · abdeckne
  • aufdecken ← afudecken · audfecken · aufdceken · aufddecken · aufdeccken · aufdecekn · aufdeckenn · aufdeckken

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abdecken" and "aufdecken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌdɛkn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯fˌdɛkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abdecken" or "aufdecken"?
"abdecken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,341 in our German list, against #23,017 for "aufdecken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "abdecken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "aufdecken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,538,962 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "abdecken" and "aufdecken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufdecken vs aufwecken". 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 #1,538,962 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list