Which to use
“aufpassen” and “aufzupassen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,243
- “aufpassen” frequency rank
- #41,665
- “aufzupassen” frequency rank
- 46908
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufpassen | aufzupassen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas aufmerksam verfolgen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufpassen |
Where the eye mixes aufpassen and aufzupassen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. aufpassen runs 9 letters (VVCCVCCVC) against aufzupassen's 11 (VVCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between aufpassen and aufzupassen
A purely visual mix-up. aufpassen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌpasn̩]) and aufzupassen ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌpasn̩]) 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 46908, 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]. aufzupassen is at rank #41,665, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌpasn̩].
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 46908, this pair ranks #1,302,841 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of aufpassen vs aufzupassen
Shared letters: aefnpsu. Private to "aufpassen": -. Private to "aufzupassen": z.
"aufpassen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC · "aufzupassen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufpassen ← afupassen · aufapssen · auffpassen · aufpasen · aufpasesn · aufpassenn · aufpassne · aufpaßen
- aufzupassen ← afuzupassen · auffzupassen · aufuzpassen · aufzpuassen · aufzuapssen · aufzupasen · aufzupasesn · aufzupassenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufpassen" and "aufzupassen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "aufpassen" or "aufzupassen"?
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 "aufpassen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzupassen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,302,841 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufpassen" and "aufzupassen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufessen vs aufpassen". 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 #1,302,841 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.