aufzumachenvsauszumachenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#30,925
“aufzumachen” frequency rank
#20,513
“auszumachen” frequency rank
51438
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aufzumachen auszumachen
Definition erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufmachen erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ausmachen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set aufzumachen and auszumachen apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
aufzumachen
11 ch
auszumachen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

aufzumachen and auszumachen form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - f in “aufzumachen” becomes s in “auszumachen” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51438, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

aufzumachen is recorded at frequency rank #30,925, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌmaxn̩]. auszumachen is at rank #20,513, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌmaxn̩].

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 51438, this pair ranks #1,135,546 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

aufzumachen#30,925
auszumachen#20,513

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "aufzumachen" and "auszumachen" be used interchangeably?
No, "aufzumachen" and "auszumachen" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering aufzumachen vs auszumachen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “aufzumachen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list