aufdeckenvsaufweckenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,017
“aufdecken” frequency rank
#49,488
“aufwecken” frequency rank
72505
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aufdecken aufwecken
Definition eine Decke zurückschlagen (zum Beispiel auf einem Bett) jemandes Schlaf beenden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set aufdecken and aufwecken apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
aufdecken
9 ch
aufwecken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. aufdecken ([ˈaʊ̯fˌdɛkn̩]) and aufwecken ([ˈaʊ̯fˌvɛkn̩]) 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 a single letter - d in “aufdecken” becomes w in “aufwecken”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72505, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

aufdecken is recorded at frequency rank #23,017, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌdɛkn̩]. aufwecken is at rank #49,488, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌvɛkn̩].

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 72505, this pair ranks #386,539 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of aufdecken vs aufwecken

Shared letters: acefknu. Private to "aufdecken": d. Private to "aufwecken": w.

"aufdecken" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC  ·  "aufwecken" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aufdeckenafudecken · audfecken · aufdceken · aufddecken · aufdeccken · aufdecekn · aufdeckenn · aufdeckken
  • aufweckenafuwecken · aufewcken · auffwecken · aufwceken · aufweccken · aufwecekn · aufweckenn · aufweckken

Frequency comparison

aufdecken#23,017
aufwecken#49,488

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "aufdecken" and "aufwecken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaʊ̯fˌdɛkn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯fˌvɛkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "aufdecken" or "aufwecken"?
"aufdecken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,017 in our German list, against #49,488 for "aufwecken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering aufdecken vs aufwecken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “aufdecken” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list