Which to use
“anrufen” is a verb and “Aufrufen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,017
- “anrufen” frequency rank
- #13,096
- “Aufrufen” frequency rank
- 17113
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anrufen | Aufrufen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | auf sich aufmerksam machen, indem man ruft; jemanden namentlich rufen | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Aufruf |
Where the eye mixes anrufen and Aufrufen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. anrufen runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against Aufrufen's 8 (VVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between anrufen and Aufrufen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: anrufen is [ˈanˌʁuːfn̩] while Aufrufen is [ˈaʊ̯fˌʁuːfn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17113, 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]. Aufrufen is at rank #13,096, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌʁuːfn̩].
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 17113, this pair ranks #1,930,241 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of anrufen vs Aufrufen
Shared letters: aefnru. Private to "anrufen": -. Private to "Aufrufen": -.
"anrufen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "Aufrufen" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "anrufen" for "Aufrufen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "anrufen" vs "Aufrufen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "anrufen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Aufrufen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,930,241 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anrufen" and "Aufrufen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Aufrufen vs Aufzügen". 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 #1,930,241 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.