AnbauvsAnlaufWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,501
“Anbau” frequency rank
#11,807
“Anlauf” frequency rank
18308
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Anbau Anlauf
Definition Kultivierung von Nutz- oder Zierpflanzen das Laufen vor einem Sprung oder Stoß, um Schwung zu holen

Where the eye mixes Anbau and Anlauf

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Anbau runs 5 letters (VCCVV) against Anlauf's 6 (VCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
Anbau
6 ch
Anlauf

Visual trap between Anbau and Anlauf

A purely visual mix-up. Anbau ([ˈanˌbaʊ̯]) and Anlauf ([ˈanˌlaʊ̯f]) 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 18308, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Anbau is recorded at frequency rank #6,501, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌbaʊ̯]. Anlauf is at rank #11,807, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌlaʊ̯f].

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 18308, this pair ranks #1,919,484 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Anbau vs Anlauf

Shared letters: anu. Private to "Anbau": b. Private to "Anlauf": fl.

"Anbau" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV  ·  "Anlauf" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Anbau ← abnau · anabu · anbbau · anbua · annbau · nabau
  • Anlauf ← alnauf · analuf · anlafu · anlauff · anllauf · anluaf · annlauf · nalauf

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Anbau" for "Anlauf" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌbaʊ̯] versus [ˈanˌlaʊ̯f]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Anbau" or "Anlauf"?
"Anbau" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,501 in our German list, against #11,807 for "Anlauf". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "Anbau" and "Anlauf" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Anbau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Anlauf" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,919,484 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Anbau" and "Anlauf" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Anlauf vs Anläufe". 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 #1,919,484 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