aufzeichnenvsaufzuzeichnenTell them apart

Which to use

“aufzeichnen” and “aufzuzeichnen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#29,478
“aufzeichnen” frequency rank
#47,223
“aufzuzeichnen” frequency rank
76701
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aufzeichnen aufzuzeichnen
Definition etwas auf etwas zeichnen erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufzeichnen

Where the eye mixes aufzeichnen and aufzuzeichnen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. aufzeichnen runs 11 letters (VVCCVVCCCVC) against aufzuzeichnen's 13 (VVCCVCVVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch
aufzeichnen
13 ch
aufzuzeichnen

Look-alike desk: aufzeichnen vs aufzuzeichnen

A purely visual mix-up. aufzeichnen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌt͡saɪ̯çnən]) and aufzuzeichnen ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌt͡saɪ̯çnən]) 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 76701, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

aufzeichnen is recorded at frequency rank #29,478, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌt͡saɪ̯çnən]. aufzuzeichnen is at rank #47,223, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌt͡saɪ̯çnən].

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 76701, this pair ranks #277,719 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of aufzeichnen vs aufzuzeichnen

Shared letters: acefhinuz. Private to "aufzeichnen": -. Private to "aufzuzeichnen": -.

"aufzeichnen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVVCCCVC  ·  "aufzuzeichnen" · 13 letters · shape VVCCVCVVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aufzeichnen ← afuzeichnen · aufezichnen · auffzeichnen · aufzecihnen · aufzeicchnen · aufzeichenn · aufzeichhnen · aufzeichnenn
  • aufzuzeichnen ← afuzuzeichnen · auffzuzeichnen · aufuzzeichnen · aufzuezichnen · aufzuzecihnen · aufzuzeicchnen · aufzuzeichenn · aufzuzeichhnen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "aufzeichnen" and "aufzuzeichnen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaʊ̯fˌt͡saɪ̯çnən] versus [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌt͡saɪ̯çnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "aufzeichnen" or "aufzuzeichnen"?
"aufzeichnen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,478 in our German list, against #47,223 for "aufzuzeichnen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "aufzeichnen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "aufzuzeichnen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #277,719 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "aufzeichnen" and "aufzuzeichnen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufzeichnen vs auszeichnen". 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 #277,719 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list