aufdeckenvsaufzudeckenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#23,017
“aufdecken” frequency rank
#27,632
“aufzudecken” frequency rank
50649
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aufdecken aufzudecken
Definition eine Decke zurückschlagen (zum Beispiel auf einem Bett) erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufdecken

Where the eye mixes aufdecken and aufzudecken

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. aufdecken runs 9 letters (VVCCVCCVC) against aufzudecken's 11 (VVCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
aufdecken
11 ch
aufzudecken

Look-alike desk: aufdecken vs aufzudecken

A purely visual mix-up. aufdecken ([ˈaʊ̯fˌdɛkn̩]) and aufzudecken ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌdɛkn̩]) 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 50649, 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]. aufzudecken is at rank #27,632, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌdɛkn̩].

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 50649, this pair ranks #1,165,734 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of aufdecken vs aufzudecken

Shared letters: acdefknu. Private to "aufdecken": -. Private to "aufzudecken": z.

"aufdecken" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC  ·  "aufzudecken" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aufdecken ← afudecken · audfecken · aufdceken · aufddecken · aufdeccken · aufdecekn · aufdeckenn · aufdeckken
  • aufzudecken ← afuzudecken · auffzudecken · aufuzdecken · aufzduecken · aufzudceken · aufzuddecken · aufzudeccken · aufzudecekn

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "aufdecken" and "aufzudecken" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaʊ̯fˌdɛkn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌdɛkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "aufdecken" vs "aufzudecken" - which ranks higher?
"aufdecken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,017 in our German list, against #27,632 for "aufzudecken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "aufdecken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "aufzudecken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,165,734 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "aufdecken" and "aufzudecken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufdecken vs aufwecken". 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 #1,165,734 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list