AnforderungvsAufforderungWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,157
“Anforderung” frequency rank
#7,864
“Aufforderung” frequency rank
26021
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Anforderung Aufforderung
Definition Forderung mit dem Ziel, etwas Bestimmtes zu erhalten Dringende Bitte, etwas zu tun

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Anforderung and Aufforderung apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
Anforderung
12 ch
Aufforderung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Anforderung ([ˈanˌfɔʁdəʁʊŋ]) and Aufforderung ([ˈaʊ̯fˌfɔʁdəʁʊŋ]) 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 26021, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Anforderung is recorded at frequency rank #18,157, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌfɔʁdəʁʊŋ]. Aufforderung is at rank #7,864, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌfɔʁdəʁʊŋ].

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 26021, this pair ranks #1,824,433 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Anforderung vs Aufforderung

Shared letters: adefgnoru. Private to "Anforderung": -. Private to "Aufforderung": -.

"Anforderung" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVCC  ·  "Aufforderung" · 12 letters · shape VVCCVCCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Anforderungafnorderung · anfforderung · anfodrerung · anfordderung · anfordernug · anforderrung · anforderugn · anforderungg
  • Aufforderungafuforderung · auffodrerung · auffordderung · auffordernug · aufforderrung · aufforderugn · aufforderungg · aufforderunng

Frequency comparison

Anforderung#18,157
Aufforderung#7,864

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Anforderung" and "Aufforderung" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌfɔʁdəʁʊŋ] versus [ˈaʊ̯fˌfɔʁdəʁʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Anforderung" or "Aufforderung"?
"Aufforderung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,864 in our German list, against #18,157 for "Anforderung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Anforderung vs Aufforderung

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 “Anforderung” 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