Which to use
“aufmachen” and “aufzumachen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,678
- “aufmachen” frequency rank
- #30,925
- “aufzumachen” frequency rank
- 39603
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufmachen | aufzumachen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas öffnen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufmachen |
Where the eye mixes aufmachen and aufzumachen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. aufmachen runs 9 letters (VVCCVCCVC) against aufzumachen's 11 (VVCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between aufmachen and aufzumachen
A purely visual mix-up. aufmachen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌmaxn̩]) and aufzumachen ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌmaxn̩]) 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 39603, 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]. aufzumachen is at rank #30,925, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌmaxn̩].
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 39603, this pair ranks #1,532,124 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aufmachen vs aufzumachen
Shared letters: acefhmnu. Private to "aufmachen": -. Private to "aufzumachen": z.
"aufmachen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC · "aufzumachen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufmachen ← afumachen · aufamchen · auffmachen · aufmacchen · aufmacehn · aufmachenn · aufmachhen · aufmachne
- aufzumachen ← afuzumachen · auffzumachen · aufuzmachen · aufzmuachen · aufzuamchen · aufzumacchen · aufzumacehn · aufzumachenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufmachen" and "aufzumachen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "aufmachen" or "aufzumachen"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "aufmachen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzumachen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,532,124 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufmachen" and "aufzumachen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufzumachen vs aufzuwachen". 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 #1,532,124 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.