Which to use
“ASS” and “aufs” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,039
- “ASS” frequency rank
- #1,005
- “aufs” frequency rank
- 7044
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ASS | aufs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Acetylsalicylsäure | auf das |
Where the eye mixes ASS and aufs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ASS vs aufs
A purely visual mix-up. ASS ([aʔɛsˈʔɛs]) and aufs ([aʊ̯fs]) 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 7044, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ASS is recorded at frequency rank #6,039, classified as anabbrev, pronounced [aʔɛsˈʔɛs]. aufs is at rank #1,005, tagged as anabbrev, pronounced [aʊ̯fs].
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 7044, this pair ranks #1,989,577 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ASS vs aufs
Shared letters: as. Private to "ASS": -. Private to "aufs": fu.
"ASS" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "aufs" · 4 letters · shape VVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufs ← afus · auffs · aufss · ausf · uafs
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ASS" and "aufs" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "ASS" or "aufs" show up more?
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 "ASS" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,989,577 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ASS" and "aufs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ASS vs AUD". 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 #1,989,577 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.