Which to use
“aufkochen” and “aufmachen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,481
- “aufkochen” frequency rank
- #8,678
- “aufmachen” frequency rank
- 55159
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufkochen | aufmachen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas (eine Speise) für kurze Zeit zum Kochen (= Sieden) bringen; etwas (für kurze Zeit) so stark erhitzen, dass es zu kochen beginnt | etwas öffnen |
Where the eye mixes aufkochen and aufmachen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. aufkochen and aufmachen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VVCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses aufkochen with aufmachen
A purely visual mix-up. aufkochen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌkɔxn̩]) and aufmachen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌmaxn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55159, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufkochen is recorded at frequency rank #46,481, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌkɔxn̩]. aufmachen is at rank #8,678, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌmaxn̩].
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 55159, this pair ranks #990,497 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of aufkochen vs aufmachen
Shared letters: acefhnu. Private to "aufkochen": ko. Private to "aufmachen": m.
"aufkochen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC · "aufmachen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "aufkochen" for "aufmachen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "aufkochen" or "aufmachen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "aufkochen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufmachen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #990,497 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufkochen" and "aufmachen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufkochen vs aufsuchen". 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 #990,497 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.