ansteigenvsanstellenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“ansteigen” and “anstellen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#17,504
“ansteigen” frequency rank
#7,718
“anstellen” frequency rank
25222
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ansteigen anstellen
Definition an Höhe gewinnen, nach oben verlaufen einen Gegenstand an einen anderen anlehnen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ansteigen and anstellen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
ansteigen
9 ch
anstellen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ansteigen ([ˈanˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]) and anstellen ([ˈanˌʃtɛlən]) 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 25222, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ansteigen is recorded at frequency rank #17,504, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]. anstellen is at rank #7,718, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʃtɛlən].

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 25222, this pair ranks #1,836,379 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ansteigen vs anstellen

Shared letters: aenst. Private to "ansteigen": gi. Private to "anstellen": l.

"ansteigen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCVC  ·  "anstellen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ansteigenannsteigen · ansetigen · anssteigen · anstegien · ansteiegn · ansteigenn · ansteiggen · ansteigne
  • anstellenannstellen · ansetllen · ansstellen · ansteleln · anstelen · anstellenn · anstellne · anstlelen

Frequency comparison

ansteigen#17,504
anstellen#7,718

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ansteigen" and "anstellen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩] versus [ˈanˌʃtɛlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ansteigen" or "anstellen"?
"anstellen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,718 in our German list, against #17,504 for "ansteigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ansteigen vs anstellen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ansteigen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list