Which to use
“aufsetzen” and “aussetzen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,008
- “aufsetzen” frequency rank
- #13,102
- “aussetzen” frequency rank
- 27110
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufsetzen | aussetzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas (beispielsweise einen Hut, einen Helm, eine Krone) auf den Kopf setzen, (eine Brille) auf die Nase setzen | aus der Obhut entlassen, verstoßen |
Where the eye mixes aufsetzen and aussetzen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. aufsetzen and aussetzen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VVCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses aufsetzen with aussetzen
A purely visual mix-up. aufsetzen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌzɛt͡sn̩]) and aussetzen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌzɛt͡sn̩]) 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 a single letter - f in “aufsetzen” becomes s in “aussetzen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27110, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufsetzen is recorded at frequency rank #14,008, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌzɛt͡sn̩]. aussetzen is at rank #13,102, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌzɛt͡sn̩].
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 27110, this pair ranks #1,807,209 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aufsetzen vs aussetzen
Shared letters: aenstuz. Private to "aufsetzen": f. Private to "aussetzen": -.
"aufsetzen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC · "aussetzen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "aufsetzen" for "aussetzen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "aufsetzen" or "aussetzen"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "aufsetzen" and "aussetzen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "aufsetzen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aussetzen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,807,209 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufsetzen" and "aussetzen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aussenden vs aussetzen". 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 #1,807,209 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.