abräumenvsausräumenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#43,682
“abräumen” frequency rank
#34,528
“ausräumen” frequency rank
78210
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abräumen ausräumen
Definition Gegenstände von einer Oberfläche entfernen einen Raum oder ein Behältnis, in dem Dinge verwahrt sind, leeren

Where the eye mixes abräumen and ausräumen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. abräumen runs 8 letters (VCCVVCVC) against ausräumen's 9 (VVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
abräumen
9 ch
ausräumen

Look-alike desk: abräumen vs ausräumen

A purely visual mix-up. abräumen ([ˈapˌʁɔɪ̯mən]) and ausräumen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌʁɔɪ̯mən]) 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 78210, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abräumen is recorded at frequency rank #43,682, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌʁɔɪ̯mən]. ausräumen is at rank #34,528, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌʁɔɪ̯mən].

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 78210, this pair ranks #243,392 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of abräumen vs ausräumen

Shared letters: aemnruä. Private to "abräumen": b. Private to "ausräumen": s.

"abräumen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC  ·  "ausräumen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "abräumen" and "ausräumen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌʁɔɪ̯mən] versus [ˈaʊ̯sˌʁɔɪ̯mən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "abräumen" vs "ausräumen" - which ranks higher?
"ausräumen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #34,528 in our German list, against #43,682 for "abräumen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "abräumen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "ausräumen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #243,392 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "abräumen" and "ausräumen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abräumen vs absaugen". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #243,392 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