Which to use
“aufwachen” and “aufwachsen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,168
- “aufwachen” frequency rank
- #17,224
- “aufwachsen” frequency rank
- 25392
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufwachen | aufwachsen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | den Schlaf, die Ruhe beenden | vom Kind ins Erwachsenenalter heranwachsen |
Where the eye mixes aufwachen and aufwachsen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. aufwachen runs 9 letters (VVCCVCCVC) against aufwachsen's 10 (VVCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: aufwachen vs aufwachsen
A purely visual mix-up. aufwachen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌvaxn̩]) and aufwachsen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌvaksn̩]) 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 25392, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufwachen is recorded at frequency rank #8,168, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌvaxn̩]. aufwachsen is at rank #17,224, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌvaksn̩].
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 25392, this pair ranks #1,833,999 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aufwachen vs aufwachsen
Shared letters: acefhnuw. Private to "aufwachen": -. Private to "aufwachsen": s.
"aufwachen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC · "aufwachsen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufwachen ← afuwachen · aufawchen · auffwachen · aufwacchen · aufwacehn · aufwachenn · aufwachhen · aufwachne
- aufwachsen ← afuwachsen · aufawchsen · auffwachsen · aufwacchsen · aufwachesn · aufwachhsen · aufwachsenn · aufwachsne
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "aufwachen" for "aufwachsen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "aufwachen" or "aufwachsen"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "aufwachen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufwachsen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,833,999 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufwachen" and "aufwachsen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufwache vs aufwachsen". 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 #1,833,999 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.