Which to use
“anzuhören” and “aufzuhören” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,526
- “anzuhören” frequency rank
- #17,514
- “aufzuhören” frequency rank
- 39040
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anzuhören | aufzuhören |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs anhören | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufhören |
Where the eye mixes anzuhören and aufzuhören
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. anzuhören runs 9 letters (VCCVCVCVC) against aufzuhören's 10 (VVCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses anzuhören with aufzuhören
A purely visual mix-up. anzuhören ([ˈant͡suˌhøːʁən]) and aufzuhören ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌhøːʁən]) 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 39040, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anzuhören is recorded at frequency rank #21,526, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈant͡suˌhøːʁən]. aufzuhören is at rank #17,514, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌhøːʁən].
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 39040, this pair ranks #1,547,720 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of anzuhören vs aufzuhören
Shared letters: aehnruzö. Private to "anzuhören": -. Private to "aufzuhören": f.
"anzuhören" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC · "aufzuhören" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "anzuhören" for "aufzuhören" ever safe?
Which is more common, "anzuhören" or "aufzuhören"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "anzuhören" and "aufzuhören" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "anzuhören" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzuhören" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,547,720 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anzuhören" and "aufzuhören" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anrühren vs anzuhören". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,547,720 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.