Which to use
“aufräumen” and “auftauen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,169
- “aufräumen” frequency rank
- #41,662
- “auftauen” frequency rank
- 52831
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufräumen | auftauen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ordnung schaffen | Gefrorenes vom Eis befreien, schmelzen^([2]) |
Where the eye mixes aufräumen and auftauen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. aufräumen runs 9 letters (VVCCVVCVC) against auftauen's 8 (VVCCVVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses aufräumen with auftauen
A purely visual mix-up. aufräumen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌʁɔɪ̯mən]) and auftauen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌtaʊ̯ən]) 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 52831, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufräumen is recorded at frequency rank #11,169, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌʁɔɪ̯mən]. auftauen is at rank #41,662, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌtaʊ̯ən].
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 52831, this pair ranks #1,081,620 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of aufräumen vs auftauen
Shared letters: aefnu. Private to "aufräumen": mrä. Private to "auftauen": t.
"aufräumen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVVCVC · "auftauen" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- auftauen ← afutauen · aufatuen · aufftauen · auftaeun · auftauenn · auftaune · aufttauen · auftuaen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufräumen" and "auftauen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "aufräumen" or "auftauen"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "aufräumen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "auftauen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,081,620 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufräumen" and "auftauen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Aufbauten vs auftauen". 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 #1,081,620 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.