anfassenvsaufessenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,037
“anfassen” frequency rank
#47,957
“aufessen” frequency rank
57994
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature anfassen aufessen
Definition mit der Hand oder den Fingern absichtlich berühren etwas vollständig essen, so dass kein (essbarer) Rest übrig bleibt

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
anfassen
8 ch
aufessen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. anfassen ([ˈanˌfasn̩]) and aufessen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌʔɛsn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57994, 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]. aufessen is at rank #47,957, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌʔɛsn̩].

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 57994, this pair ranks #879,729 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of anfassen vs aufessen

Shared letters: aefns. Private to "anfassen": -. Private to "aufessen": u.

"anfassen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC  ·  "aufessen" · 8 letters · shape VVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • anfassenafnassen · anafssen · anfasen · anfasesn · anfassenn · anfassne · anfaßen · anffassen
  • aufessenafuessen · auefssen · aufesen · aufesesn · aufessenn · aufessne · aufeßen · auffessen

Frequency comparison

anfassen#10,037
aufessen#47,957

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "anfassen" and "aufessen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌfasn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯fˌʔɛsn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "anfassen" or "aufessen"?
"anfassen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,037 in our German list, against #47,957 for "aufessen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering anfassen vs aufessen

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 “anfassen” 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