Which to use
“aufsteigen” and “aufzusteigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,233
- “aufsteigen” frequency rank
- #32,422
- “aufzusteigen” frequency rank
- 44655
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufsteigen | aufzusteigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich aus eigener Kraft oder mit Motorantrieb nach oben bewegen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufsteigen |
Where the eye mixes aufsteigen and aufzusteigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. aufsteigen runs 10 letters (VVCCCVVCVC) against aufzusteigen's 12 (VVCCVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: aufsteigen vs aufzusteigen
A purely visual mix-up. aufsteigen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]) and aufzusteigen ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]) 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 44655, 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]. aufzusteigen is at rank #32,422, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩].
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 44655, this pair ranks #1,379,132 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of aufsteigen vs aufzusteigen
Shared letters: aefginstu. Private to "aufsteigen": -. Private to "aufzusteigen": z.
"aufsteigen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVVCVC · "aufzusteigen" · 12 letters · shape VVCCVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufsteigen ← afusteigen · auffsteigen · aufsetigen · aufssteigen · aufstegien · aufsteiegn · aufsteigenn · aufsteiggen
- aufzusteigen ← afuzusteigen · auffzusteigen · aufuzsteigen · aufzsuteigen · aufzusetigen · aufzussteigen · aufzustegien · aufzusteiegn
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "aufsteigen" and "aufzusteigen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "aufsteigen" or "aufzusteigen"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "aufsteigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzusteigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,379,132 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufsteigen" and "aufzusteigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufzusteigen vs aufzuteilen". 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 #1,379,132 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.