Which to use
“anführen” and “anzuführen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,799
- “anführen” frequency rank
- #43,009
- “anzuführen” frequency rank
- 61808
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anführen | anzuführen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Gruppe von Personen oder etwas leiten | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs anführen |
Where the eye mixes anführen and anzuführen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. anführen runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against anzuführen's 10 (VCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: anführen vs anzuführen
A purely visual mix-up. anführen ([ˈanˌfyːʁən]) and anzuführen ([ˈant͡suˌfyːʁən]) 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 61808, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anführen is recorded at frequency rank #18,799, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌfyːʁən]. anzuführen is at rank #43,009, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈant͡suˌfyːʁən].
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 61808, this pair ranks #735,911 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of anführen vs anzuführen
Shared letters: aefhnrü. Private to "anführen": -. Private to "anzuführen": uz.
"anführen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "anzuführen" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "anführen" for "anzuführen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "anführen" vs "anzuführen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "anführen" and "anzuführen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "anführen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "anzuführen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #735,911 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anführen" and "anzuführen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anzuführen vs aufzuführen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #735,911 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.