auffassenvsAuffassungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: auffassen is a verb, Auffassung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“auffassen” is a verb and “Auffassung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#35,068
“auffassen” frequency rank
#4,859
“Auffassung” frequency rank
39927
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature auffassen Auffassung
Definition etwas einfach nur (neutral) verstehen und begreifen persönliche Bewertung einer Sache, Person oder eines Sachverhaltes; Art und Weise, wie jemand etwas versteht

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
auffassen
10 ch
Auffassung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: auffassen is [ˈaʊ̯fˌfasn̩] while Auffassung is [ˈaʊ̯fˌfasʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39927, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

auffassen is recorded at frequency rank #35,068, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌfasn̩]. Auffassung is at rank #4,859, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌfasʊŋ].

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 39927, this pair ranks #1,522,933 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of auffassen vs Auffassung

Shared letters: afnsu. Private to "auffassen": e. Private to "Auffassung": g.

"auffassen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC  ·  "Auffassung" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • auffassenafufassen · aufafssen · aufassen · auffasen · auffasesn · auffassenn · auffassne · auffaßen
  • Auffassungafufassung · aufafssung · aufassung · auffassnug · auffassugn · auffassungg · auffassunng · auffasung

Frequency comparison

auffassen#35,068
Auffassung#4,859

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "auffassen" and "Auffassung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "auffassen" is a verb and "Auffassung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "auffassen" or "Auffassung"?
"Auffassung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,859 in our German list, against #35,068 for "auffassen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering auffassen vs Auffassung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “auffassen”; for a noun, it's “Auffassung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “auffassen” 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