Which to use
“abschalten” and “aushalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,980
- “abschalten” frequency rank
- #8,170
- “aushalten” frequency rank
- 17150
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abschalten | aushalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Gerät oder eine Anlage außer Betrieb setzen, stromlos machen | eine unangenehme Situation ertragen oder ertragen können |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abschalten and aushalten apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. abschalten ([ˈapˌʃaltn̩]) and aushalten ([ˈaʊ̯sˌhaltn̩]) 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 17150, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abschalten is recorded at frequency rank #8,980, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌʃaltn̩]. aushalten is at rank #8,170, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌhaltn̩].
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 17150, this pair ranks #1,929,927 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abschalten vs aushalten
Shared letters: aehlnst. Private to "abschalten": bc. Private to "aushalten": u.
"abschalten" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC · "aushalten" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abschalten ← abbschalten · abcshalten · abscahlten · abscchalten · abschaletn · abschallten · abschaltenn · abschaltne
- aushalten ← asuhalten · auhsalten · ausahlten · aushaletn · aushallten · aushaltenn · aushaltne · aushaltten
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abschalten" and "aushalten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abschalten" or "aushalten"?
Remembering abschalten vs aushalten
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 “abschalten” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable