Which to use
“aufbrechen” and “aufzubrechen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,821
- “aufbrechen” frequency rank
- #29,940
- “aufzubrechen” frequency rank
- 45761
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufbrechen | aufzubrechen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas, das verschlossen ist, mit Gewalt öffnen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufbrechen |
Where the eye mixes aufbrechen and aufzubrechen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. aufbrechen runs 10 letters (VVCCCVCCVC) against aufzubrechen's 12 (VVCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses aufbrechen with aufzubrechen
A purely visual mix-up. aufbrechen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌbʁɛçn̩]) and aufzubrechen ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌbʁɛçn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45761, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufbrechen is recorded at frequency rank #15,821, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌbʁɛçn̩]. aufzubrechen is at rank #29,940, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌbʁɛçn̩].
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 45761, this pair ranks #1,342,103 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of aufbrechen vs aufzubrechen
Shared letters: abcefhnru. Private to "aufbrechen": -. Private to "aufzubrechen": z.
"aufbrechen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVCCVC · "aufzubrechen" · 12 letters · shape VVCCVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufbrechen ← afubrechen · aubfrechen · aufbbrechen · aufberchen · aufbrcehen · aufbrecchen · aufbrecehn · aufbrechenn
- aufzubrechen ← afuzubrechen · auffzubrechen · aufuzbrechen · aufzburechen · aufzubbrechen · aufzuberchen · aufzubrcehen · aufzubrecchen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "aufbrechen" for "aufzubrechen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "aufbrechen" vs "aufzubrechen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "aufbrechen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzubrechen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,342,103 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufbrechen" and "aufzubrechen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufzubrechen vs auszubrechen". 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 #1,342,103 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.