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 eye mixes aufmachen and Auftauchen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. aufmachen runs 9 letters (VVCCVCCVC) against Auftauchen's 10 (VVCCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: aufmachen vs Auftauchen
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "aufmachen" and "Auftauchen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "aufmachen" vs "Auftauchen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "aufmachen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Auftauchen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,943,875 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufmachen" and "Auftauchen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufkochen vs aufmachen". 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 #1,943,875 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.