Which to use
“anrufen” and “anzurufen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,017
- “anrufen” frequency rank
- #16,352
- “anzurufen” frequency rank
- 20369
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anrufen | anzurufen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | auf sich aufmerksam machen, indem man ruft; jemanden namentlich rufen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs anrufen |
Where the eye mixes anrufen and anzurufen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses anrufen with anzurufen
A purely visual mix-up. anrufen ([ˈanˌʁuːfn̩]) and anzurufen ([ˈant͡suˌʁuːfn̩]) 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 20369, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anrufen is recorded at frequency rank #4,017, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʁuːfn̩]. anzurufen is at rank #16,352, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈant͡suˌʁuːfn̩].
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 20369, this pair ranks #1,898,428 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of anrufen vs anzurufen
Shared letters: aefnru. Private to "anrufen": -. Private to "anzurufen": z.
"anrufen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "anzurufen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "anrufen" and "anzurufen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "anrufen" vs "anzurufen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "anrufen" and "anzurufen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "anrufen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "anzurufen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,898,428 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anrufen" and "anzurufen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anzurufen vs aufzurufen". 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 #1,898,428 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.