Which to use
“auf” is a preposition and “aufs” is an abbrev - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15
- “auf” frequency rank
- #1,005
- “aufs” frequency rank
- 1020
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | auf | aufs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an der Oberseite von etwas | auf das |
Where the eye mixes auf and aufs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses auf with aufs
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: auf is [aʊ̯f] while aufs is [aʊ̯fs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “auf” sits inside “aufs”, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs abbrev), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1020, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
auf is recorded at frequency rank #15, classified as aprep, pronounced [aʊ̯f]. 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 1020, this pair ranks #2,005,013 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of auf vs aufs
Shared letters: afu. Private to "auf": -. Private to "aufs": s.
"auf" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "aufs" · 4 letters · shape VVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufs ← afus · auffs · aufss · ausf · uafs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "auf" for "aufs" ever safe?
Which is more common, "auf" or "aufs"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "auf" 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 #2,005,013 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "auf" and "aufs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "AUD vs aufs". 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 #2,005,013 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.