Which to use
“ansteigen” and “aufsteigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,504
- “ansteigen” frequency rank
- #12,233
- “aufsteigen” frequency rank
- 29737
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ansteigen | aufsteigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an Höhe gewinnen, nach oben verlaufen | sich aus eigener Kraft oder mit Motorantrieb nach oben bewegen |
Where the eye mixes ansteigen and aufsteigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. ansteigen runs 9 letters (VCCCVVCVC) against aufsteigen's 10 (VVCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ansteigen with aufsteigen
A purely visual mix-up. ansteigen ([ˈanˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]) and aufsteigen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29737, 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]. aufsteigen is at rank #12,233, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩].
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 29737, this pair ranks #1,761,243 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ansteigen vs aufsteigen
Shared letters: aeginst. Private to "ansteigen": -. Private to "aufsteigen": fu.
"ansteigen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCVC · "aufsteigen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ansteigen ← annsteigen · ansetigen · anssteigen · anstegien · ansteiegn · ansteigenn · ansteiggen · ansteigne
- aufsteigen ← afusteigen · auffsteigen · aufsetigen · aufssteigen · aufstegien · aufsteiegn · aufsteigenn · aufsteiggen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ansteigen" and "aufsteigen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "ansteigen" or "aufsteigen" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "ansteigen" and "aufsteigen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ansteigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufsteigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,761,243 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ansteigen" and "aufsteigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ansteigen vs ansteigende". 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 #1,761,243 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.