Which to use
“hinauf” and “hinzu” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,189
- “hinauf” frequency rank
- #1,735
- “hinzu” frequency rank
- 8924
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hinauf | hinzu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nach oben, weg vom Sprecher | (noch) zusätzlich zu einer Sache, einem Vorgang, einem Zustand |
Where the eye mixes hinauf and hinzu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. hinauf runs 6 letters (CVCVVC) against hinzu's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: hinauf vs hinzu
A purely visual mix-up. hinauf ([hɪˈnaʊ̯f]) and hinzu ([hɪnˈt͡suː]) 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 8924, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hinauf is recorded at frequency rank #7,189, classified as anadv, pronounced [hɪˈnaʊ̯f]. hinzu is at rank #1,735, tagged as anadv, pronounced [hɪnˈt͡suː].
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 8924, this pair ranks #1,982,205 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hinauf vs hinzu
Shared letters: hinu. Private to "hinauf": af. Private to "hinzu": z.
"hinauf" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "hinzu" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "hinauf" and "hinzu" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "hinauf" or "hinzu"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "hinauf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hinzu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,982,205 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hinauf" and "hinzu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hinauf vs Hindus". 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 #1,982,205 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.