AbschnittvsAusschnittWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,575
“Abschnitt” frequency rank
#8,172
“Ausschnitt” frequency rank
10747
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Abschnitt Ausschnitt
Definition das Abgeschnittene, Abgetrennte aus einem Text, Bild, Film oder Tondokument tatsächlich (zum Beispiel: Zeitung, Foto, Film, Tonband) oder im übertragenen Sinne (Textdatei, Digitalfoto, Video, mp3-Datei) ausgeschnittener Teil

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Abschnitt and Ausschnitt apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
Abschnitt
10 ch
Ausschnitt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Abschnitt ([ˈapˌʃnɪt]) and Ausschnitt ([ˈaʊ̯sˌʃnɪt]) 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 10747, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Abschnitt is recorded at frequency rank #2,575, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌʃnɪt]. Ausschnitt is at rank #8,172, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃnɪt].

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 10747, this pair ranks #1,973,535 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Abschnitt vs Ausschnitt

Shared letters: achinst. Private to "Abschnitt": b. Private to "Ausschnitt": u.

"Abschnitt" · 9 letters · shape VCCCCCVCC  ·  "Ausschnitt" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Abschnittabbschnitt · abcshnitt · abscchnitt · abschhnitt · abschintt · abschnit · abschnnitt · abschntit
  • Ausschnittasuschnitt · auschnitt · auscshnitt · ausscchnitt · ausschhnitt · ausschintt · ausschnit · ausschnnitt

Frequency comparison

Abschnitt#2,575
Ausschnitt#8,172

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Abschnitt" and "Ausschnitt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌʃnɪt] versus [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃnɪt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Abschnitt" or "Ausschnitt"?
"Abschnitt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,575 in our German list, against #8,172 for "Ausschnitt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Abschnitt vs Ausschnitt

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 “Abschnitt” 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