Which to use
“aufhören” and “aufzuhören” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,483
- “aufhören” frequency rank
- #17,514
- “aufzuhören” frequency rank
- 19997
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufhören | aufzuhören |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit einer Handlung oder Handlungsweise nicht weitermachen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufhören |
Where the eye mixes aufhören and aufzuhören
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. aufhören runs 8 letters (VVCCVCVC) against aufzuhören's 10 (VVCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: aufhören vs aufzuhören
A purely visual mix-up. aufhören ([ˈaʊ̯fˌhøːʁən]) and aufzuhören ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌhøːʁən]) 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 19997, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufhören is recorded at frequency rank #2,483, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌhøːʁən]. aufzuhören is at rank #17,514, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌhøːʁən].
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 19997, this pair ranks #1,902,388 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aufhören vs aufzuhören
Shared letters: aefhnruö. Private to "aufhören": -. Private to "aufzuhören": z.
"aufhören" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCVC · "aufzuhören" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "aufhören" and "aufzuhören" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "aufhören" or "aufzuhören" show up more?
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 "aufhören" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzuhören" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,902,388 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufhören" and "aufzuhören" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufzuholen vs aufzuhören". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,902,388 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.