Which to use
“ablösen” and “auslösen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,483
- “ablösen” frequency rank
- #7,868
- “auslösen” frequency rank
- 28351
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ablösen | auslösen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Aufgabe für jemanden übernehmen, jemanden ersetzen | etwas in Gang/in Bewegung setzen |
Where the eye mixes ablösen and auslösen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ablösen runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against auslösen's 8 (VVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ablösen with auslösen
A purely visual mix-up. ablösen ([ˈapˌløːzn̩]) and auslösen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌløːzn̩]) 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 28351, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ablösen is recorded at frequency rank #20,483, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌløːzn̩]. auslösen is at rank #7,868, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌløːzn̩].
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 28351, this pair ranks #1,786,343 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ablösen vs auslösen
Shared letters: aelnsö. Private to "ablösen": b. Private to "auslösen": u.
"ablösen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "auslösen" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ablösen" for "auslösen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ablösen" vs "auslösen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ablösen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "auslösen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,786,343 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ablösen" and "auslösen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ablösen vs abzulösen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,786,343 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.