aufpassenvsaufpasstWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“aufpassen” and “aufpasst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#5,243
“aufpassen” frequency rank
#27,201
“aufpasst” frequency rank
32444
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aufpassen aufpasst
Definition etwas aufmerksam verfolgen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs aufpassen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set aufpassen and aufpasst apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
aufpassen
8 ch
aufpasst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. aufpassen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌpasn̩]) and aufpasst ([ˈaʊ̯fˌpast]) 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 32444, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

aufpassen is recorded at frequency rank #5,243, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌpasn̩]. aufpasst is at rank #27,201, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌpast].

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 32444, this pair ranks #1,707,433 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of aufpassen vs aufpasst

Shared letters: afpsu. Private to "aufpassen": en. Private to "aufpasst": t.

"aufpassen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC  ·  "aufpasst" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aufpassenafupassen · aufapssen · auffpassen · aufpasen · aufpasesn · aufpassenn · aufpassne · aufpaßen
  • aufpasstafupasst · aufapsst · auffpasst · aufpasstt · aufpast · aufpasts · aufpaßt · aufppasst

Frequency comparison

aufpassen#5,243
aufpasst#27,201

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "aufpassen" and "aufpasst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaʊ̯fˌpasn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯fˌpast]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "aufpassen" or "aufpasst"?
"aufpassen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,243 in our German list, against #27,201 for "aufpasst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering aufpassen vs aufpasst

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “aufpassen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list