AbgleichvsAusgleichWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#33,418
“Abgleich” frequency rank
#4,681
“Ausgleich” frequency rank
38099
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abgleich Ausgleich
Definition Prozess des Angleichens, Vergleichens oder Ausgleichens von verschiedenen Elementen (insbesondere um Konsistenz herzustellen oder Ungleichheiten zu korrigieren) ein Gleichgewicht zustande bringen; Aufheben von Unterschieden durch Anpassung beider Seiten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Abgleich and Ausgleich apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
Abgleich
9 ch
Ausgleich

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Abgleich ([ˈapˌɡlaɪ̯ç]) and Ausgleich ([ˈaʊ̯sˌɡlaɪ̯ç]) 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 38099, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Abgleich is recorded at frequency rank #33,418, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌɡlaɪ̯ç]. Ausgleich is at rank #4,681, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌɡlaɪ̯ç].

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 38099, this pair ranks #1,572,806 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Abgleich vs Ausgleich

Shared letters: aceghil. Private to "Abgleich": b. Private to "Ausgleich": su.

"Abgleich" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVVCC  ·  "Ausgleich" · 9 letters · shape VVCCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Abgleichabbgleich · abgelich · abggleich · abglecih · abgleicch · abgleichh · abgleihc · abgliech
  • Ausgleichasugleich · augsleich · ausgelich · ausggleich · ausglecih · ausgleicch · ausgleichh · ausgleihc

Frequency comparison

Abgleich#33,418
Ausgleich#4,681

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Abgleich" and "Ausgleich" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌɡlaɪ̯ç] versus [ˈaʊ̯sˌɡlaɪ̯ç]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Abgleich" or "Ausgleich"?
"Ausgleich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,681 in our German list, against #33,418 for "Abgleich". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Abgleich vs Ausgleich

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 “Abgleich” 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