Which to use
“abfragen” and “auftragen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,414
- “abfragen” frequency rank
- #28,529
- “auftragen” frequency rank
- 61943
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abfragen | auftragen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Prüfungsfragen stellen | Speisen auf dem Tisch servieren; ein Thema ansprechen |
Where the eye mixes abfragen and auftragen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. abfragen runs 8 letters (VCCCVCVC) against auftragen's 9 (VVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: abfragen vs auftragen
A purely visual mix-up. abfragen ([ˈapˌfʁaːɡn̩]) and auftragen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌtʁaːɡn̩]) 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 61943, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abfragen is recorded at frequency rank #33,414, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌfʁaːɡn̩]. auftragen is at rank #28,529, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌtʁaːɡn̩].
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 61943, this pair ranks #730,978 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abfragen vs auftragen
Shared letters: aefgnr. Private to "abfragen": b. Private to "auftragen": tu.
"abfragen" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC · "auftragen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abfragen" for "auftragen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "abfragen" vs "auftragen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "abfragen" and "auftragen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "abfragen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "auftragen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #730,978 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abfragen" and "auftragen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abfragen vs abtragen". 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 #730,978 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.