Which to use
“Auftrag” is a noun and “auftrat” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,539
- “Auftrag” frequency rank
- #19,135
- “auftrat” frequency rank
- 20674
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Auftrag | auftrat |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mündliche oder schriftliche Aufforderungen einer Stelle oder einer Person an eine andere Stelle oder Person | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs auftreten |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Auftrag and auftrat apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Auftrag and auftrat form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - g in “Auftrag” becomes t in “auftrat” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20674, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Auftrag is recorded at frequency rank #1,539, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌtʁaːk]. auftrat is at rank #19,135, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ftʁaːt].
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 20674, this pair ranks #1,895,068 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Auftrag" and "auftrat" be used interchangeably?
Remembering Auftrag vs auftrat
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Auftrag”; for a verb, it's “auftrat”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Auftrag” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable