Which to use
“aufmacht” and “auftaucht” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,526
- “aufmacht” frequency rank
- #10,044
- “auftaucht” frequency rank
- 38570
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufmacht | auftaucht |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs aufmachen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs auftauchen |
Where the eye mixes aufmacht and auftaucht
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. aufmacht runs 8 letters (VVCCVCCC) against auftaucht's 9 (VVCCVVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses aufmacht with auftaucht
A purely visual mix-up. aufmacht ([ˈaʊ̯fˌmaxt]) and auftaucht ([ˈaʊ̯fˌtaʊ̯xt]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38570, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufmacht is recorded at frequency rank #28,526, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌmaxt]. auftaucht is at rank #10,044, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌtaʊ̯xt].
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 38570, this pair ranks #1,560,430 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aufmacht vs auftaucht
Shared letters: acfhtu. Private to "aufmacht": m. Private to "auftaucht": -.
"aufmacht" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCCC · "auftaucht" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufmacht" and "auftaucht" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "aufmacht" or "auftaucht"?
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 "aufmacht" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "auftaucht" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,560,430 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufmacht" and "auftaucht" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufmacht vs aufwache". 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 #1,560,430 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.