Which to use
“anfordern” and “auffordern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,492
- “anfordern” frequency rank
- #21,165
- “auffordern” frequency rank
- 41657
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anfordern | auffordern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (etwas/jemanden) ausdrücklich verlangen, dringend erbitten | jemanden zu einer Aktion aufrufen |
Where the eye mixes anfordern and auffordern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. anfordern runs 9 letters (VCCVCCVCC) against auffordern's 10 (VVCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses anfordern with auffordern
A purely visual mix-up. anfordern ([ˈanˌfɔʁdɐn]) and auffordern ([ˈaʊ̯fˌfɔʁdɐn]) 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 41657, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anfordern is recorded at frequency rank #20,492, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌfɔʁdɐn]. auffordern is at rank #21,165, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌfɔʁdɐn].
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 41657, this pair ranks #1,472,894 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of anfordern vs auffordern
Shared letters: adefnor. Private to "anfordern": -. Private to "auffordern": u.
"anfordern" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC · "auffordern" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- anfordern ← afnordern · anffordern · anfodrern · anforddern · anfordenr · anfordernn · anforderrn · anfordren
- auffordern ← afufordern · auffodrern · aufforddern · auffordenr · auffordernn · aufforderrn · auffordren · aufforedrn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "anfordern" and "auffordern" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "anfordern" vs "auffordern" - 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 "anfordern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "auffordern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,472,894 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anfordern" and "auffordern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "auffordern vs aufforderte". 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 #1,472,894 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.