Which to use
“aufmachen” is a verb and “Auftauchen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,678
- “aufmachen” frequency rank
- #6,760
- “Auftauchen” frequency rank
- 15438
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufmachen | Auftauchen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas öffnen | das Durchstoßen einer Flüssigkeitsoberfläche von unten |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set aufmachen and Auftauchen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: aufmachen is [ˈaʊ̯fˌmaxn̩] while Auftauchen is [ˈaʊ̯ftaʊ̯xn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15438, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufmachen is recorded at frequency rank #8,678, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌmaxn̩]. Auftauchen is at rank #6,760, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ftaʊ̯xn̩].
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 15438, this pair ranks #1,943,875 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aufmachen vs Auftauchen
Shared letters: acefhnu. Private to "aufmachen": m. Private to "Auftauchen": t.
"aufmachen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC · "Auftauchen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufmachen ← afumachen · aufamchen · auffmachen · aufmacchen · aufmacehn · aufmachenn · aufmachhen · aufmachne
- Auftauchen ← afutauchen · aufatuchen · aufftauchen · auftacuhen · auftaucchen · auftaucehn · auftauchenn · auftauchhen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufmachen" and "Auftauchen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "aufmachen" or "Auftauchen"?
Remembering aufmachen vs Auftauchen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “aufmachen”; for a noun, it's “Auftauchen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “aufmachen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable