Which to use
“abzuheben” and “aufzuheben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,557
- “abzuheben” frequency rank
- #19,136
- “aufzuheben” frequency rank
- 57693
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abzuheben | aufzuheben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abheben | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufheben |
Where the eye mixes abzuheben and aufzuheben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abzuheben runs 9 letters (VCCVCVCVC) against aufzuheben's 10 (VVCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between abzuheben and aufzuheben
A purely visual mix-up. abzuheben ([ˈapt͡suˌheːbn̩]) and aufzuheben ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌheːbn̩]) 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 57693, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abzuheben is recorded at frequency rank #38,557, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌheːbn̩]. aufzuheben is at rank #19,136, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌheːbn̩].
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 57693, this pair ranks #891,346 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abzuheben vs aufzuheben
Shared letters: abehnuz. Private to "abzuheben": -. Private to "aufzuheben": f.
"abzuheben" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC · "aufzuheben" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abzuheben ← abbzuheben · abuzheben · abzhueben · abzuehben · abzuhbeen · abzuhebben · abzuhebenn · abzuhebne
- aufzuheben ← afuzuheben · auffzuheben · aufuzheben · aufzhueben · aufzuehben · aufzuhbeen · aufzuhebben · aufzuhebenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abzuheben" and "aufzuheben" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abzuheben" or "aufzuheben"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "abzuheben" and "aufzuheben" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "abzuheben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzuheben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #891,346 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abzuheben" and "aufzuheben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abzuheben vs abzulesen". 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 #891,346 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.