abnehmenvsaufnehmenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,758
“abnehmen” frequency rank
#2,532
“aufnehmen” frequency rank
7290
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abnehmen aufnehmen
Definition von einer Stelle entfernen etwas aufheben, an sich nehmen oder zu sich nehmen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abnehmen and aufnehmen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
abnehmen
9 ch
aufnehmen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abnehmen ([ˈapˌneːmən]) and aufnehmen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌneːmən]) 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 7290, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abnehmen is recorded at frequency rank #4,758, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌneːmən]. aufnehmen is at rank #2,532, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌneːmən].

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 7290, this pair ranks #1,988,710 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of abnehmen vs aufnehmen

Shared letters: aehmn. Private to "abnehmen": b. Private to "aufnehmen": fu.

"abnehmen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC  ·  "aufnehmen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abnehmenabbnehmen · abenhmen · abnehemn · abnehhmen · abnehmenn · abnehmmen · abnehmne · abnemhen
  • aufnehmenafunehmen · aufenhmen · auffnehmen · aufnehemn · aufnehhmen · aufnehmenn · aufnehmmen · aufnehmne

Frequency comparison

abnehmen#4,758
aufnehmen#2,532

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abnehmen" and "aufnehmen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌneːmən] versus [ˈaʊ̯fˌneːmən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abnehmen" or "aufnehmen"?
"aufnehmen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,532 in our German list, against #4,758 for "abnehmen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abnehmen vs aufnehmen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “abnehmen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list