Which to use
“auftreiben” and “auftreten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,635
- “auftreiben” frequency rank
- #2,485
- “auftreten” frequency rank
- 38120
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | auftreiben | auftreten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nach Suche finden | in Erscheinung treten; sich (gelegentlich) ereignen |
Where the eye mixes auftreiben and auftreten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. auftreiben runs 10 letters (VVCCCVVCVC) against auftreten's 9 (VVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses auftreiben with auftreten
A purely visual mix-up. auftreiben ([ˈaʊ̯fˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩]) and auftreten ([ˈaʊ̯fˌtʁeːtn̩]) 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 38120, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
auftreiben is recorded at frequency rank #35,635, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩]. auftreten is at rank #2,485, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌtʁeːtn̩].
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 38120, this pair ranks #1,572,265 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of auftreiben vs auftreten
Shared letters: aefnrtu. Private to "auftreiben": bi. Private to "auftreten": -.
"auftreiben" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVVCVC · "auftreten" · 9 letters · shape VVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- auftreiben ← afutreiben · aufftreiben · aufrteiben · aufteriben · auftrebien · auftreibben · auftreibenn · auftreibne
- auftreten ← afutreten · aufftreten · aufrteten · aufterten · auftreetn · auftretenn · auftretne · auftretten
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "auftreiben" for "auftreten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "auftreiben" vs "auftreten" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "auftreiben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "auftreten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,572,265 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "auftreiben" and "auftreten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "auftreiben vs austreiben". 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 #1,572,265 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.