abzusetzenvsaufzusetzenTell them apart

Which to use

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

#22,998
“abzusetzen” frequency rank
#35,638
“aufzusetzen” frequency rank
58636
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abzusetzen aufzusetzen
Definition erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs absetzen erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufsetzen

Where the eye mixes abzusetzen and aufzusetzen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. abzusetzen runs 10 letters (VCCVCVCCVC) against aufzusetzen's 11 (VVCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
abzusetzen
11 ch
aufzusetzen

Look-alike desk: abzusetzen vs aufzusetzen

A purely visual mix-up. abzusetzen ([ˈapt͡suˌz̥ɛt͡sn̩]) and aufzusetzen ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌzɛt͡sn̩]) 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 58636, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abzusetzen is recorded at frequency rank #22,998, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌz̥ɛt͡sn̩]. aufzusetzen is at rank #35,638, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌzɛt͡sn̩].

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 58636, this pair ranks #855,141 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abzusetzen vs aufzusetzen

Shared letters: aenstuz. Private to "abzusetzen": b. Private to "aufzusetzen": f.

"abzusetzen" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC  ·  "aufzusetzen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abzusetzenabbzusetzen · abuzsetzen · abzsuetzen · abzuestzen · abzusetezn · abzusettzen · abzusetzenn · abzusetzne
  • aufzusetzenafuzusetzen · auffzusetzen · aufuzsetzen · aufzsuetzen · aufzuestzen · aufzusetezn · aufzusettzen · aufzusetzenn

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abzusetzen" and "aufzusetzen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapt͡suˌz̥ɛt͡sn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌzɛt͡sn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "abzusetzen" vs "aufzusetzen" - which ranks higher?
"abzusetzen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,998 in our German list, against #35,638 for "aufzusetzen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "abzusetzen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "aufzusetzen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #855,141 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "abzusetzen" and "aufzusetzen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anzusetzen vs aufzusetzen". 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 #855,141 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list