Which to use
“auftreiben” and “aufzutreiben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,635
- “auftreiben” frequency rank
- #41,041
- “aufzutreiben” frequency rank
- 76676
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | auftreiben | aufzutreiben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nach Suche finden | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs auftreiben |
Where the eye mixes auftreiben and aufzutreiben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. auftreiben runs 10 letters (VVCCCVVCVC) against aufzutreiben's 12 (VVCCVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: auftreiben vs aufzutreiben
A purely visual mix-up. auftreiben ([ˈaʊ̯fˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩]) and aufzutreiben ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩]) 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 76676, 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]. aufzutreiben is at rank #41,041, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩].
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 76676, this pair ranks #278,318 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of auftreiben vs aufzutreiben
Shared letters: abefinrtu. Private to "auftreiben": -. Private to "aufzutreiben": z.
"auftreiben" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVVCVC · "aufzutreiben" · 12 letters · shape VVCCVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- auftreiben ← afutreiben · aufftreiben · aufrteiben · aufteriben · auftrebien · auftreibben · auftreibenn · auftreibne
- aufzutreiben ← afuzutreiben · auffzutreiben · aufuztreiben · aufztureiben · aufzurteiben · aufzuteriben · aufzutrebien · aufzutreibben
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "auftreiben" and "aufzutreiben" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "auftreiben" or "aufzutreiben"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "auftreiben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzutreiben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #278,318 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "auftreiben" and "aufzutreiben" 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 #278,318 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.