Which to use
“abzuhalten” and “aufzuhalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,484
- “abzuhalten” frequency rank
- #12,663
- “aufzuhalten” frequency rank
- 27147
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abzuhalten | aufzuhalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abhalten | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufhalten |
Where the eye mixes abzuhalten and aufzuhalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. abzuhalten runs 10 letters (VCCVCVCCVC) against aufzuhalten's 11 (VVCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abzuhalten with aufzuhalten
A purely visual mix-up. abzuhalten ([ˈapt͡suˌhaltn̩]) and aufzuhalten ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌhaltn̩]) 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 27147, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abzuhalten is recorded at frequency rank #14,484, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌhaltn̩]. aufzuhalten is at rank #12,663, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌhaltn̩].
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 27147, this pair ranks #1,806,562 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abzuhalten vs aufzuhalten
Shared letters: aehlntuz. Private to "abzuhalten": b. Private to "aufzuhalten": f.
"abzuhalten" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC · "aufzuhalten" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abzuhalten ← abbzuhalten · abuzhalten · abzhualten · abzuahlten · abzuhaletn · abzuhallten · abzuhaltenn · abzuhaltne
- aufzuhalten ← afuzuhalten · auffzuhalten · aufuzhalten · aufzhualten · aufzuahlten · aufzuhaletn · aufzuhallten · aufzuhaltenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "abzuhalten" for "aufzuhalten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "abzuhalten" or "aufzuhalten" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "abzuhalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzuhalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,806,562 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abzuhalten" and "aufzuhalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufzufallen vs aufzuhalten". 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 #1,806,562 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.