abstaubenvsausraubenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#47,918
“abstauben” frequency rank
#31,943
“ausrauben” frequency rank
79861
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abstauben ausrauben
Definition Staub von etwas entfernen, etwas von Staub reinigen jemandem alles wegnehmen; etwas vollständig (von Wertvollem) leeren

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
abstauben
9 ch
ausrauben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abstauben ([ˈapˌʃtaʊ̯bn̩]) and ausrauben ([ˈaʊ̯sˌʁaʊ̯bn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79861, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abstauben is recorded at frequency rank #47,918, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌʃtaʊ̯bn̩]. ausrauben is at rank #31,943, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌʁaʊ̯bn̩].

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 79861, this pair ranks #207,498 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of abstauben vs ausrauben

Shared letters: abensu. Private to "abstauben": t. Private to "ausrauben": r.

"abstauben" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCVC  ·  "ausrauben" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abstaubenabbstauben · absatuben · absstauben · abstabuen · abstaubben · abstaubenn · abstaubne · abstauebn
  • ausraubenasurauben · aursauben · ausaruben · ausrabuen · ausraubben · ausraubenn · ausraubne · ausrauebn

Frequency comparison

abstauben#47,918
ausrauben#31,943

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abstauben" and "ausrauben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌʃtaʊ̯bn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯sˌʁaʊ̯bn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abstauben" or "ausrauben"?
"ausrauben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,943 in our German list, against #47,918 for "abstauben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abstauben vs ausrauben

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 “abstauben” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list