allzuvsAluWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: allzu is a adverb, Alu is an abbrev, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“allzu” is an adverb and “Alu” is an abbrev - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,294
“allzu” frequency rank
#19,118
“Alu” frequency rank
22412
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature allzu Alu
Definition verstärktes zu; zu sehr, in zu hohem Grade Aluminium

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set allzu and Alu apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
allzu
3 ch
Alu

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: allzu is [ˈalt͡suː] while Alu is [ˈaːlu]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs abbrev), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22412, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

allzu is recorded at frequency rank #3,294, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈalt͡suː]. Alu is at rank #19,118, tagged as anabbrev, pronounced [ˈaːlu].

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 22412, this pair ranks #1,874,484 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of allzu vs Alu

Shared letters: alu. Private to "allzu": z. Private to "Alu": -.

"allzu" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV  ·  "Alu" · 3 letters · shape VCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • allzualluz · allzzu · alzlu · alzu · lalzu

Frequency comparison

allzu#3,294
Alu#19,118

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "allzu" and "Alu" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "allzu" is an adverb and "Alu" an abbrev, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "allzu" or "Alu"?
"allzu" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,294 in our German list, against #19,118 for "Alu". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering allzu vs Alu

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “allzu”; for an abbrev, it's “Alu”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “allzu” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list