Which to use
“aufholen” and “aufzuholen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,629
- “aufholen” frequency rank
- #43,727
- “aufzuholen” frequency rank
- 71356
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufholen | aufzuholen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | oder einen Rückstand oder eine Verspätung verringern | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufholen |
Where the eye mixes aufholen and aufzuholen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. aufholen runs 8 letters (VVCCVCVC) against aufzuholen's 10 (VVCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between aufholen and aufzuholen
A purely visual mix-up. aufholen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌhoːlən]) and aufzuholen ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌhoːlən]) 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 71356, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufholen is recorded at frequency rank #27,629, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌhoːlən]. aufzuholen is at rank #43,727, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌhoːlən].
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 71356, this pair ranks #419,230 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of aufholen vs aufzuholen
Shared letters: aefhlnou. Private to "aufholen": -. Private to "aufzuholen": z.
"aufholen" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCVC · "aufzuholen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufholen ← afuholen · auffholen · aufhholen · aufhloen · aufhoeln · aufholenn · aufhollen · aufholne
- aufzuholen ← afuzuholen · auffzuholen · aufuzholen · aufzhuolen · aufzuhholen · aufzuhloen · aufzuhoeln · aufzuholenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufholen" and "aufzuholen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "aufholen" vs "aufzuholen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "aufholen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzuholen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #419,230 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufholen" and "aufzuholen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufzählen vs aufzuholen". 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 #419,230 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.