AbteilungvsAufteilungWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,281
“Abteilung” frequency rank
#10,809
“Aufteilung” frequency rank
13090
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abteilung Aufteilung
Definition Teil einer größeren Einheit (Unternehmen, Kaufhaus oder Ähnlichem) Zuordnung von Teilen eines Ganzen zu Personen, Ländern oder dergleichen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Abteilung and Aufteilung apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
Abteilung
10 ch
Aufteilung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Abteilung ([apˈtaɪ̯lʊŋ]) and Aufteilung ([ˈaʊ̯ftaɪ̯lʊŋ]) 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 13090, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Abteilung is recorded at frequency rank #2,281, classified as anoun, pronounced [apˈtaɪ̯lʊŋ]. Aufteilung is at rank #10,809, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ftaɪ̯lʊŋ].

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 13090, this pair ranks #1,960,190 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Abteilung vs Aufteilung

Shared letters: aegilntu. Private to "Abteilung": b. Private to "Aufteilung": f.

"Abteilung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCVCC  ·  "Aufteilung" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Abteilungabbteilung · abetilung · abteillung · abteilnug · abteilugn · abteilungg · abteilunng · abteiulng
  • Aufteilungafuteilung · aufetilung · auffteilung · aufteillung · aufteilnug · aufteilugn · aufteilungg · aufteilunng

Frequency comparison

Abteilung#2,281
Aufteilung#10,809

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Abteilung" and "Aufteilung" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([apˈtaɪ̯lʊŋ] versus [ˈaʊ̯ftaɪ̯lʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Abteilung" or "Aufteilung"?
"Abteilung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,281 in our German list, against #10,809 for "Aufteilung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Abteilung vs Aufteilung

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 “Abteilung” 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