abgeschlossenvsausgeschlossenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,720
“abgeschlossen” frequency rank
#2,486
“ausgeschlossen” frequency rank
4206
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abgeschlossen ausgeschlossen
Definition in sich geschlossen, selbstständig unmöglich, nicht machbar

Where the eye mixes abgeschlossen and ausgeschlossen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. abgeschlossen runs 13 letters (VCCVCCCCVCCVC) against ausgeschlossen's 14 (VVCCVCCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

13 ch
abgeschlossen
14 ch
ausgeschlossen

Visual trap between abgeschlossen and ausgeschlossen

A purely visual mix-up. abgeschlossen ([ˈapɡəˌʃlɔsn̩]) and ausgeschlossen ([ˈaʊ̯sɡəˌʃlɔsn̩]) 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 4206, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abgeschlossen is recorded at frequency rank #1,720, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈapɡəˌʃlɔsn̩]. ausgeschlossen is at rank #2,486, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sɡəˌʃlɔsn̩].

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 4206, this pair ranks #1,998,313 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of abgeschlossen vs ausgeschlossen

Shared letters: aceghlnos. Private to "abgeschlossen": b. Private to "ausgeschlossen": u.

"abgeschlossen" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCCCVCCVC  ·  "ausgeschlossen" · 14 letters · shape VVCCVCCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abgeschlossen ← abbgeschlossen · abegschlossen · abgecshlossen · abgescchlossen · abgeschhlossen · abgeschllossen · abgeschlosen · abgeschlosesn
  • ausgeschlossen ← asugeschlossen · augseschlossen · ausegschlossen · ausgecshlossen · ausgescchlossen · ausgeschhlossen · ausgeschllossen · ausgeschlosen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abgeschlossen" and "ausgeschlossen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapɡəˌʃlɔsn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯sɡəˌʃlɔsn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abgeschlossen" or "ausgeschlossen"?
"abgeschlossen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,720 in our German list, against #2,486 for "ausgeschlossen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "abgeschlossen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "ausgeschlossen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,998,313 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "abgeschlossen" and "ausgeschlossen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abgeschlossen vs abgeschlossener". 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 #1,998,313 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