anbauenvsandauernWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,742
“anbauen” frequency rank
#28,054
“andauern” frequency rank
54796
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature anbauen andauern
Definition (etwas, ein zusätzliches Gebäudeteil) einem Gebäude hinzufügen sich weiter fortführen; zeitlich weitergehen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set anbauen and andauern apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
anbauen
8 ch
andauern

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. anbauen ([ˈanˌbaʊ̯ən]) and andauern ([ˈanˌdaʊ̯ɐn]) 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 54796, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

anbauen is recorded at frequency rank #26,742, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌbaʊ̯ən]. andauern is at rank #28,054, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌdaʊ̯ɐn].

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 54796, this pair ranks #1,004,704 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of anbauen vs andauern

Shared letters: aenu. Private to "anbauen": b. Private to "andauern": dr.

"anbauen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVVC  ·  "andauern" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • anbauenabnauen · anabuen · anbaeun · anbauenn · anbaune · anbbauen · anbuaen · annbauen
  • andauernadnauern · anaduern · andaeurn · andauenr · andauernn · andauerrn · andauren · anddauern

Frequency comparison

anbauen#26,742
andauern#28,054

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "anbauen" and "andauern" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌbaʊ̯ən] versus [ˈanˌdaʊ̯ɐn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "anbauen" or "andauern"?
"anbauen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,742 in our German list, against #28,054 for "andauern". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering anbauen vs andauern

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “anbauen” 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