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 eye mixes Auftrag and auftrat
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Auftrag and auftrat follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VVCCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses Auftrag with auftrat
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Auftrag is [ˈaʊ̯fˌtʁaːk] while auftrat is [ˈaʊ̯ftʁaːt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - g in “Auftrag” becomes t in “auftrat”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. 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.
Orthographic DNA of Auftrag vs auftrat
Shared letters: afrtu. Private to "Auftrag": g. Private to "auftrat": -.
"Auftrag" · 7 letters · shape VVCCCVC · "auftrat" · 7 letters · shape VVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Auftrag" and "auftrat" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Auftrag" or "auftrat"?
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 "Auftrag" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "auftrat" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,895,068 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Auftrag" and "auftrat" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Auftrags vs auftrat". 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 #1,895,068 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.