aufsteigenvsaufzeigenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“aufsteigen” and “aufzeigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,233
“aufsteigen” frequency rank
#12,234
“aufzeigen” frequency rank
24467
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aufsteigen aufzeigen
Definition sich aus eigener Kraft oder mit Motorantrieb nach oben bewegen sich melden; mit dem Finger nach oben zeigen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set aufsteigen and aufzeigen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
aufsteigen
9 ch
aufzeigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. aufsteigen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]) and aufzeigen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩]) 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 24467, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

aufsteigen is recorded at frequency rank #12,233, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]. aufzeigen is at rank #12,234, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩].

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 24467, this pair ranks #1,847,201 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of aufsteigen vs aufzeigen

Shared letters: aefginu. Private to "aufsteigen": st. Private to "aufzeigen": z.

"aufsteigen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVVCVC  ·  "aufzeigen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aufsteigenafusteigen · auffsteigen · aufsetigen · aufssteigen · aufstegien · aufsteiegn · aufsteigenn · aufsteiggen
  • aufzeigenafuzeigen · aufezigen · auffzeigen · aufzegien · aufzeiegn · aufzeigenn · aufzeiggen · aufzeigne

Frequency comparison

aufsteigen#12,233
aufzeigen#12,234

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "aufsteigen" and "aufzeigen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaʊ̯fˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯fˌt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "aufsteigen" or "aufzeigen"?
"aufsteigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,233 in our German list, against #12,234 for "aufzeigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering aufsteigen vs aufzeigen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “aufsteigen” 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