Which to use
“anschaffen” and “anzuschaffen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,498
- “anschaffen” frequency rank
- #35,061
- “anzuschaffen” frequency rank
- 55559
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anschaffen | anzuschaffen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas für sich erwerben | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs anschaffen |
Where the eye mixes anschaffen and anzuschaffen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. anschaffen runs 10 letters (VCCCCVCCVC) against anzuschaffen's 12 (VCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: anschaffen vs anzuschaffen
A purely visual mix-up. anschaffen ([ˈanˌʃafn̩]) and anzuschaffen ([ˈant͡suˌʃafn̩]) 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 55559, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anschaffen is recorded at frequency rank #20,498, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʃafn̩]. anzuschaffen is at rank #35,061, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈant͡suˌʃafn̩].
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 55559, this pair ranks #974,914 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of anschaffen vs anzuschaffen
Shared letters: acefhns. Private to "anschaffen": -. Private to "anzuschaffen": uz.
"anschaffen" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC · "anzuschaffen" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- anschaffen ← ancshaffen · annschaffen · anscahffen · anscchaffen · anschafefn · anschafen · anschaffenn · anschaffne
- anzuschaffen ← annzuschaffen · anuzschaffen · anzsuchaffen · anzucshaffen · anzuscahffen · anzuscchaffen · anzuschafefn · anzuschafen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "anschaffen" and "anzuschaffen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "anschaffen" vs "anzuschaffen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "anschaffen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "anzuschaffen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #974,914 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anschaffen" and "anzuschaffen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anschaffen vs anschalten". 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 #974,914 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.