auf

[aʊ̯f]

/[aʊ̯f]/ prep

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“auf” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #15) as a preposition. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#15
frequency rank, German
6,976
“A” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - an der Oberseite von etwas

Corpus desk

Index DE-auf · auf · German

auf · rank #15 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #15
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,976
  • PHOTO-FINISH für

Nearest frequency peer: für (+1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “auf”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “auf” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

auf vs AZ
0% similar
auf vs AV
0% similar
auf vs AW
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for auf
PropertyValue
Headwordauf
LanguageGerman
Part of speechPreposition
IPA[aʊ̯f]
Letters3
Frequency rank#15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “auf” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). auf lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for auf is neighbouring look-alikes ("AZ", "AV", …), not just typos; it is apreposition pronounced [aʊ̯f]. Frequency #15 among 6,976 “A” headwords. 12 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

No misspelling variants are generated for auf in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "AZ", "AV", "AW", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is auf, spelled A-U-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    an der Oberseite von etwas
  2. 2
    an die Oberseite von etwas
  3. 3
    mit der bezeichneten Seite nach unten
  4. 4
    mit der bezeichneten Seite nach unten
  5. 5
    an der Oberfläche von etwas
  6. 6
    an die Oberfläche von etwas
  7. 7
    bei einer Unternehmung oder Veranstaltung
  8. 8
    zu einer Unternehmung oder Veranstaltung
  9. 9
    an einer Örtlichkeit, die einem zu Füßen liegt
  10. 10
    zu einer Örtlichkeit, die einem zu Füßen liegt
  11. 11
    in einer bestimmten Sprache
  12. 12
    bevorstehende festgelegte Zeitdauer

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how auf appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Er stand auf dem Dach.
  2. „Zur Abgrenzung von Präpositionalobjekt und adverbialer Bestimmung werden die Substituierbarkeit durch Proformen und die Austauschbarkeit von auf gegen andere Präpositionen untersucht.“

Synonyms

beizufür

This word in other languages

on(English)arriba(Español)sur(Français)em(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "auf"?
"auf" is spelled A-U-F. The IPA pronunciation is [aʊ̯f].
What does "auf" mean?
As a preposition, "auf" means: an der Oberseite von etwas
What words are commonly confused with "auf"?
"auf" is commonly confused with "AZ", "AV", "AW". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "auf"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "auf" is [aʊ̯f]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "auf" come from?
"auf" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "auf", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

für#16mit#12sie#18von#11
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list