AbfahrtvsAuffahrtConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#6,136
“Abfahrt” frequency rank
#25,445
“Auffahrt” frequency rank
31581
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abfahrt Auffahrt
Definition Beginn einer Fahrt (meist zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt oder ab einem bestimmten, örtlich festgelegten Punkt) ansteigender Straßenabschnitt, der zu etwas hinführt

Where the eye mixes Abfahrt and Auffahrt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Abfahrt runs 7 letters (VCCVCCC) against Auffahrt's 8 (VVCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Abfahrt
8 ch
Auffahrt

Why the eye confuses Abfahrt with Auffahrt

A purely visual mix-up. Abfahrt ([ˈapˌfaːɐ̯t]) and Auffahrt ([ˈaʊ̯fˌfaːɐ̯t]) 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 31581, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Abfahrt is recorded at frequency rank #6,136, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌfaːɐ̯t]. Auffahrt is at rank #25,445, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌfaːɐ̯t].

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 31581, this pair ranks #1,725,217 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Abfahrt vs Auffahrt

Shared letters: afhrt. Private to "Abfahrt": b. Private to "Auffahrt": u.

"Abfahrt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC  ·  "Auffahrt" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Abfahrt ← abafhrt · abbfahrt · abfahhrt · abfahrrt · abfahrtt · abfahtr · abfarht · abffahrt
  • Auffahrt ← afufahrt · aufafhrt · aufahrt · auffahhrt · auffahrrt · auffahrtt · auffahtr · auffarht

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Abfahrt" and "Auffahrt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌfaːɐ̯t] versus [ˈaʊ̯fˌfaːɐ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Abfahrt" vs "Auffahrt" - which ranks higher?
"Abfahrt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,136 in our German list, against #25,445 for "Auffahrt". 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 "Abfahrt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Auffahrt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,725,217 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Abfahrt" and "Auffahrt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Auffahrt vs aufführt". 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 #1,725,217 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