Which to use
“auffordern” and “aufforderte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,165
- “auffordern” frequency rank
- #40,384
- “aufforderte” frequency rank
- 61549
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | auffordern | aufforderte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden zu einer Aktion aufrufen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs auffordern |
Where the eye mixes auffordern and aufforderte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. auffordern runs 10 letters (VVCCVCCVCC) against aufforderte's 11 (VVCCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: auffordern vs aufforderte
A purely visual mix-up. auffordern ([ˈaʊ̯fˌfɔʁdɐn]) and aufforderte ([ˈaʊ̯fˌfɔʁdɐtə]) 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 61549, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
auffordern is recorded at frequency rank #21,165, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌfɔʁdɐn]. aufforderte is at rank #40,384, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌfɔʁdɐtə].
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 61549, this pair ranks #745,645 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of auffordern vs aufforderte
Shared letters: adeforu. Private to "auffordern": n. Private to "aufforderte": t.
"auffordern" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCCVCC · "aufforderte" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- auffordern ← afufordern · auffodrern · aufforddern · auffordenr · auffordernn · aufforderrn · auffordren · aufforedrn
- aufforderte ← afuforderte · auffodrerte · auffordderte · aufforderet · aufforderrte · auffordertte · auffordetre · auffordrete
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "auffordern" for "aufforderte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "auffordern" or "aufforderte"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "auffordern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufforderte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #745,645 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "auffordern" and "aufforderte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "auffordert vs aufforderte". 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 #745,645 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.