Which to use
“abgelaufen” is an adjective and “ausgelaufen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,312
- “abgelaufen” frequency rank
- #31,441
- “ausgelaufen” frequency rank
- 40753
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abgelaufen | ausgelaufen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | länger gelagert, als das aufgedruckte Verfallsdatum; Verfallsdatum < aktuelles Datum, ein Gültigkeitsdatum überschritten habend | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs auslaufen |
Where the eye mixes abgelaufen and ausgelaufen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. abgelaufen runs 10 letters (VCCVCVVCVC) against ausgelaufen's 11 (VVCCVCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: abgelaufen vs ausgelaufen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abgelaufen is [ˈapɡəˌlaʊ̯fn̩] while ausgelaufen is [ˈaʊ̯sɡəˌlaʊ̯fn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40753, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abgelaufen is recorded at frequency rank #9,312, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈapɡəˌlaʊ̯fn̩]. ausgelaufen is at rank #31,441, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sɡəˌlaʊ̯fn̩].
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 40753, this pair ranks #1,499,316 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abgelaufen vs ausgelaufen
Shared letters: aefglnu. Private to "abgelaufen": b. Private to "ausgelaufen": s.
"abgelaufen" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVVCVC · "ausgelaufen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abgelaufen ← abbgelaufen · abeglaufen · abgealufen · abgelafuen · abgelauefn · abgelaufenn · abgelauffen · abgelaufne
- ausgelaufen ← asugelaufen · augselaufen · auseglaufen · ausgealufen · ausgelafuen · ausgelauefn · ausgelaufenn · ausgelauffen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abgelaufen" and "ausgelaufen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abgelaufen" or "ausgelaufen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "abgelaufen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ausgelaufen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,499,316 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abgelaufen" and "ausgelaufen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ausgebauten vs ausgelaufen". 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 #1,499,316 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.