Which to use
“anfassen” and “anzufassen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,037
- “anfassen” frequency rank
- #41,029
- “anzufassen” frequency rank
- 51066
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anfassen | anzufassen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit der Hand oder den Fingern absichtlich berühren | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs anfassen |
Where the eye mixes anfassen and anzufassen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. anfassen runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against anzufassen's 10 (VCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between anfassen and anzufassen
A purely visual mix-up. anfassen ([ˈanˌfasn̩]) and anzufassen ([ˈant͡suˌfasn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51066, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anfassen is recorded at frequency rank #10,037, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌfasn̩]. anzufassen is at rank #41,029, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈant͡suˌfasn̩].
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 51066, this pair ranks #1,149,823 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of anfassen vs anzufassen
Shared letters: aefns. Private to "anfassen": -. Private to "anzufassen": uz.
"anfassen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "anzufassen" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- anfassen ← afnassen · anafssen · anfasen · anfasesn · anfassenn · anfassne · anfaßen · anffassen
- anzufassen ← annzufassen · anuzfassen · anzfuassen · anzuafssen · anzufasen · anzufasesn · anzufassenn · anzufassne
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "anfassen" and "anzufassen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "anfassen" vs "anzufassen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "anfassen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "anzufassen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,149,823 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anfassen" and "anzufassen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anfassen vs anfasst". 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 #1,149,823 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.