Which to use
“ankommen” and “aufkommen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,905
- “ankommen” frequency rank
- #6,632
- “aufkommen” frequency rank
- 12537
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ankommen | aufkommen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Ort, ein Ziel erreichen | in Gebrauch kommen oder Mode werden |
Where the eye mixes ankommen and aufkommen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. ankommen runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against aufkommen's 9 (VVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ankommen with aufkommen
A purely visual mix-up. ankommen ([ˈanˌkɔmən]) and aufkommen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌkɔmən]) 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 12537, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ankommen is recorded at frequency rank #5,905, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌkɔmən]. aufkommen is at rank #6,632, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌkɔmən].
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 12537, this pair ranks #1,963,599 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ankommen vs aufkommen
Shared letters: aekmno. Private to "ankommen": -. Private to "aufkommen": fu.
"ankommen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "aufkommen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ankommen" for "aufkommen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ankommen" vs "aufkommen" - 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 "ankommen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufkommen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,963,599 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ankommen" and "aufkommen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufkochen vs aufkommen". 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 #1,963,599 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.