Which to use
“anschauen” and “anzuschauen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,942
- “anschauen” frequency rank
- #11,375
- “anzuschauen” frequency rank
- 14317
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anschauen | anzuschauen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | den Blick bewusst auf etwas oder jemanden richten | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs anschauen |
Where the eye mixes anschauen and anzuschauen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. anschauen runs 9 letters (VCCCCVVVC) against anzuschauen's 11 (VCCVCCCVVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: anschauen vs anzuschauen
A purely visual mix-up. anschauen ([ˈanˌʃaʊ̯ən]) and anzuschauen ([ˈant͡suˌʃaʊ̯ən]) 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 14317, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anschauen is recorded at frequency rank #2,942, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʃaʊ̯ən]. anzuschauen is at rank #11,375, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈant͡suˌʃaʊ̯ən].
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 14317, this pair ranks #1,952,032 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of anschauen vs anzuschauen
Shared letters: acehnsu. Private to "anschauen": -. Private to "anzuschauen": z.
"anschauen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCCVVVC · "anzuschauen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- anschauen ← ancshauen · annschauen · anscahuen · anscchauen · anschaeun · anschauenn · anschaune · anschhauen
- anzuschauen ← annzuschauen · anuzschauen · anzsuchauen · anzucshauen · anzuscahuen · anzuscchauen · anzuschaeun · anzuschauenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "anschauen" and "anzuschauen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "anschauen" or "anzuschauen"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "anschauen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "anzuschauen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,952,032 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anschauen" and "anzuschauen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anschauen vs anschaust". 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 #1,952,032 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.