Which to use
“auftreten” and “aufzutreten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,485
- “auftreten” frequency rank
- #18,810
- “aufzutreten” frequency rank
- 21295
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | auftreten | aufzutreten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Erscheinung treten; sich (gelegentlich) ereignen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs auftreten |
Where the eye mixes auftreten and aufzutreten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. auftreten runs 9 letters (VVCCCVCVC) against aufzutreten's 11 (VVCCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses auftreten with aufzutreten
A purely visual mix-up. auftreten ([ˈaʊ̯fˌtʁeːtn̩]) and aufzutreten ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌtʁeːtn̩]) 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 21295, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
auftreten is recorded at frequency rank #2,485, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌtʁeːtn̩]. aufzutreten is at rank #18,810, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌtʁeːtn̩].
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 21295, this pair ranks #1,887,956 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of auftreten vs aufzutreten
Shared letters: aefnrtu. Private to "auftreten": -. Private to "aufzutreten": z.
"auftreten" · 9 letters · shape VVCCCVCVC · "aufzutreten" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- auftreten ← afutreten · aufftreten · aufrteten · aufterten · auftreetn · auftretenn · auftretne · auftretten
- aufzutreten ← afuzutreten · auffzutreten · aufuztreten · aufztureten · aufzurteten · aufzuterten · aufzutreetn · aufzutretenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "auftreten" and "aufzutreten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "auftreten" or "aufzutreten"?
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 "auftreten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzutreten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,887,956 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "auftreten" and "aufzutreten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufzutreiben vs aufzutreten". 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 #1,887,956 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.