AnzugvsAufzugWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,007
“Anzug” frequency rank
#9,324
“Aufzug” frequency rank
16331
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Anzug Aufzug
Definition das Heranziehen, Heranziehen, Heranrücken Transportmittel zum Auf- und Abtransportieren

Where the eye mixes Anzug and Aufzug

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Anzug runs 5 letters (VCCVC) against Aufzug's 6 (VVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
Anzug
6 ch
Aufzug

Visual trap between Anzug and Aufzug

A purely visual mix-up. Anzug ([ˈanˌt͡suːk]) and Aufzug ([ˈaʊ̯fˌt͡suːk]) 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 16331, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Anzug is recorded at frequency rank #7,007, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌt͡suːk]. Aufzug is at rank #9,324, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌt͡suːk].

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 16331, this pair ranks #1,936,731 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Anzug vs Aufzug

Shared letters: aguz. Private to "Anzug": n. Private to "Aufzug": f.

"Anzug" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "Aufzug" · 6 letters · shape VVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Anzug ← annzug · anuzg · anzgu · anzugg · anzzug · aznug · nazug
  • Aufzug ← afuzug · auffzug · aufuzg · aufzgu · aufzugg · aufzzug · auzfug · uafzug

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Anzug" for "Aufzug" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌt͡suːk] versus [ˈaʊ̯fˌt͡suːk]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Anzug" vs "Aufzug" - which ranks higher?
"Anzug" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,007 in our German list, against #9,324 for "Aufzug". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Anzug" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Aufzug" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,936,731 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Anzug" and "Aufzug" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Aufzug vs auszog". 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 #1,936,731 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list