aufgabvsAufgabeWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#34,522
“aufgab” frequency rank
#1,027
“Aufgabe” frequency rank
35549
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aufgab Aufgabe
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs aufgeben etwas, das zu erledigen ist; Arbeitsauftrag

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set aufgab and Aufgabe apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
aufgab
7 ch
Aufgabe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: aufgab is [ˈaʊ̯fˌɡaːp] while Aufgabe is [ˈaʊ̯fˌɡaːbə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “aufgab” sits inside “Aufgabe”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35549, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

aufgab is recorded at frequency rank #34,522, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌɡaːp]. Aufgabe is at rank #1,027, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌɡaːbə].

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 35549, this pair ranks #1,637,327 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of aufgab vs Aufgabe

Shared letters: abfgu. Private to "aufgab": -. Private to "Aufgabe": e.

"aufgab" · 6 letters · shape VVCCVC  ·  "Aufgabe" · 7 letters · shape VVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aufgabafugab · aufagb · auffgab · aufgabb · aufgba · aufggab · augfab · uafgab
  • Aufgabeafugabe · aufagbe · auffgabe · aufgabbe · aufgaeb · aufgbae · aufggabe · augfabe

Frequency comparison

aufgab#34,522
Aufgabe#1,027

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "aufgab" and "Aufgabe" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "aufgab" is a verb and "Aufgabe" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "aufgab" or "Aufgabe"?
"Aufgabe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,027 in our German list, against #34,522 for "aufgab". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering aufgab vs Aufgabe

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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