Which to use
“aufschreiben” and “aufzuschreiben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,168
- “aufschreiben” frequency rank
- #39,803
- “aufzuschreiben” frequency rank
- 60971
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufschreiben | aufzuschreiben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas schriftlich festhalten_([4]), niederschreiben, notieren, vermerken | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufschreiben |
Where the eye mixes aufschreiben and aufzuschreiben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. aufschreiben runs 12 letters (VVCCCCCVVCVC) against aufzuschreiben's 14 (VVCCVCCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between aufschreiben and aufzuschreiben
A purely visual mix-up. aufschreiben ([ˈaʊ̯fˌʃʁaɪ̯bn̩]) and aufzuschreiben ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌʃʁaɪ̯bn̩]) 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 60971, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufschreiben is recorded at frequency rank #21,168, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌʃʁaɪ̯bn̩]. aufzuschreiben is at rank #39,803, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌʃʁaɪ̯bn̩].
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 60971, this pair ranks #767,101 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of aufschreiben vs aufzuschreiben
Shared letters: abcefhinrsu. Private to "aufschreiben": -. Private to "aufzuschreiben": z.
"aufschreiben" · 12 letters · shape VVCCCCCVVCVC · "aufzuschreiben" · 14 letters · shape VVCCVCCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufschreiben ← afuschreiben · aufcshreiben · auffschreiben · aufscchreiben · aufscheriben · aufschhreiben · aufschrebien · aufschreibben
- aufzuschreiben ← afuzuschreiben · auffzuschreiben · aufuzschreiben · aufzsuchreiben · aufzucshreiben · aufzuscchreiben · aufzuscheriben · aufzuschhreiben
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufschreiben" and "aufzuschreiben" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "aufschreiben" or "aufzuschreiben" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "aufschreiben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzuschreiben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #767,101 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufschreiben" and "aufzuschreiben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufschieben vs aufschreiben". 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 #767,101 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.