Which to use
“anheben” and “aufheben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,469
- “anheben” frequency rank
- #11,009
- “aufheben” frequency rank
- 29478
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anheben | aufheben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein wenig in die Höhe heben | etwas nehmen, aufnehmen (was auf dem Boden liegt) |
Where the eye mixes anheben and aufheben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. anheben runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against aufheben's 8 (VVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses anheben with aufheben
A purely visual mix-up. anheben ([ˈanˌheːbn̩]) and aufheben ([ˈaʊ̯fˌheːbn̩]) 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 29478, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anheben is recorded at frequency rank #18,469, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌheːbn̩]. aufheben is at rank #11,009, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌheːbn̩].
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 29478, this pair ranks #1,766,083 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of anheben vs aufheben
Shared letters: abehn. Private to "anheben": -. Private to "aufheben": fu.
"anheben" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "aufheben" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "anheben" and "aufheben" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "anheben" or "aufheben"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "anheben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufheben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,766,083 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anheben" and "aufheben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anheben vs anheizen". 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 #1,766,083 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.