Which to use
“anschalten” and “anzuhalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,336
- “anschalten” frequency rank
- #26,302
- “anzuhalten” frequency rank
- 68638
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anschalten | anzuhalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | durch einen Schalter aktivieren; mit einem Schalter anmachen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs anhalten |
Where the eye mixes anschalten and anzuhalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. anschalten (VCCCCVCCVC) and anzuhalten (VCCVCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between anschalten and anzuhalten
A purely visual mix-up. anschalten ([ˈanˌʃaltn̩]) and anzuhalten ([ˈant͡suˌhaltn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68638, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anschalten is recorded at frequency rank #42,336, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʃaltn̩]. anzuhalten is at rank #26,302, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈant͡suˌhaltn̩].
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 68638, this pair ranks #501,566 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of anschalten vs anzuhalten
Shared letters: aehlnt. Private to "anschalten": cs. Private to "anzuhalten": uz.
"anschalten" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC · "anzuhalten" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- anschalten ← ancshalten · annschalten · anscahlten · anscchalten · anschaletn · anschallten · anschaltenn · anschaltne
- anzuhalten ← annzuhalten · anuzhalten · anzhualten · anzuahlten · anzuhaletn · anzuhallten · anzuhaltenn · anzuhaltne
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "anschalten" for "anzuhalten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "anschalten" or "anzuhalten" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "anschalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "anzuhalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #501,566 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anschalten" and "anzuhalten" 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 #501,566 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.