Which to use
“aufessen” and “aufpassen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,957
- “aufessen” frequency rank
- #5,243
- “aufpassen” frequency rank
- 53200
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufessen | aufpassen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas vollständig essen, so dass kein (essbarer) Rest übrig bleibt | etwas aufmerksam verfolgen |
Where the eye mixes aufessen and aufpassen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. aufessen runs 8 letters (VVCVCCVC) against aufpassen's 9 (VVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses aufessen with aufpassen
A purely visual mix-up. aufessen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌʔɛsn̩]) and aufpassen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌpasn̩]) 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 53200, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufessen is recorded at frequency rank #47,957, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌʔɛsn̩]. aufpassen is at rank #5,243, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌpasn̩].
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 53200, this pair ranks #1,067,353 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of aufessen vs aufpassen
Shared letters: aefnsu. Private to "aufessen": -. Private to "aufpassen": p.
"aufessen" · 8 letters · shape VVCVCCVC · "aufpassen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufessen" and "aufpassen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "aufessen" vs "aufpassen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "aufessen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufpassen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,067,353 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufessen" and "aufpassen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufessen vs auffassen". 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 #1,067,353 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.