Which to use
“auffahren” and “aufgefahren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,969
- “auffahren” frequency rank
- #36,191
- “aufgefahren” frequency rank
- 74160
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | auffahren | aufgefahren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | beim Fahren gegen die Rückseite des vorausfahrenden Fahrzeugs oder gegen ein Hindernis prallen; auf Grund laufen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs auffahren |
Where the eye mixes auffahren and aufgefahren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. auffahren runs 9 letters (VVCCVCCVC) against aufgefahren's 11 (VVCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses auffahren with aufgefahren
A purely visual mix-up. auffahren ([ˈaʊ̯fˌfaːʁən]) and aufgefahren ([ˈaʊ̯fɡəˌfaːʁən]) 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 74160, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
auffahren is recorded at frequency rank #37,969, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌfaːʁən]. aufgefahren is at rank #36,191, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fɡəˌfaːʁən].
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 74160, this pair ranks #340,837 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of auffahren vs aufgefahren
Shared letters: aefhnru. Private to "auffahren": -. Private to "aufgefahren": g.
"auffahren" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC · "aufgefahren" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- auffahren ← afufahren · aufafhren · aufahren · auffahern · auffahhren · auffahrenn · auffahrne · auffahrren
- aufgefahren ← afugefahren · aufegfahren · auffgefahren · aufgeafhren · aufgefahern · aufgefahhren · aufgefahrenn · aufgefahrne
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "auffahren" and "aufgefahren" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "auffahren" or "aufgefahren"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "auffahren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufgefahren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #340,837 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "auffahren" and "aufgefahren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "auffahren vs Ausfahrten". 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 #340,837 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.