aufsetzenvsAussetzerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: aufsetzen is a verb, Aussetzer is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“aufsetzen” is a verb and “Aussetzer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#14,008
“aufsetzen” frequency rank
#46,488
“Aussetzer” frequency rank
60496
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aufsetzen Aussetzer
Definition etwas (beispielsweise einen Hut, einen Helm, eine Krone) auf den Kopf setzen, (eine Brille) auf die Nase setzen plötzlicher, vorübergehender Ausfall oder Wegfall von etwas

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
aufsetzen
9 ch
Aussetzer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: aufsetzen is [ˈaʊ̯fˌzɛt͡sn̩] while Aussetzer is [ˈaʊ̯sˌzɛt͡sɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60496, 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]. Aussetzer is at rank #46,488, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌzɛt͡sɐ].

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 60496, this pair ranks #784,849 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of aufsetzen vs Aussetzer

Shared letters: aestuz. Private to "aufsetzen": fn. Private to "Aussetzer": r.

"aufsetzen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC  ·  "Aussetzer" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aufsetzenafusetzen · aufestzen · auffsetzen · aufsetezn · aufsettzen · aufsetzenn · aufsetzne · aufsetzzen
  • Aussetzerasusetzer · ausestzer · ausetzer · aussetezr · aussettzer · aussetzerr · aussetzre · aussetzzer

Frequency comparison

aufsetzen#14,008
Aussetzer#46,488

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "aufsetzen" and "Aussetzer" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "aufsetzen" is a verb and "Aussetzer" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "aufsetzen" or "Aussetzer"?
"aufsetzen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,008 in our German list, against #46,488 for "Aussetzer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering aufsetzen vs Aussetzer

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “aufsetzen”; for a noun, it's “Aussetzer”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “aufsetzen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list