Which to use
“abzeichnet” and “auszeichnet” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,445
- “abzeichnet” frequency rank
- #19,828
- “auszeichnet” frequency rank
- 69273
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abzeichnet | auszeichnet |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs abzeichnen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs auszeichnen |
Where the eye mixes abzeichnet and auszeichnet
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. abzeichnet runs 10 letters (VCCVVCCCVC) against auszeichnet's 11 (VVCCVVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between abzeichnet and auszeichnet
A purely visual mix-up. abzeichnet ([ˈapˌt͡saɪ̯çnət]) and auszeichnet ([ˈaʊ̯sˌt͡saɪ̯çnət]) 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 69273, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abzeichnet is recorded at frequency rank #49,445, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌt͡saɪ̯çnət]. auszeichnet is at rank #19,828, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌt͡saɪ̯çnət].
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 69273, this pair ranks #481,656 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of abzeichnet vs auszeichnet
Shared letters: acehintz. Private to "abzeichnet": b. Private to "auszeichnet": su.
"abzeichnet" · 10 letters · shape VCCVVCCCVC · "auszeichnet" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abzeichnet ← abbzeichnet · abezichnet · abzecihnet · abzeicchnet · abzeichent · abzeichhnet · abzeichnett · abzeichnnet
- auszeichnet ← asuzeichnet · ausezichnet · ausszeichnet · auszecihnet · auszeicchnet · auszeichent · auszeichhnet · auszeichnett
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abzeichnet" and "auszeichnet" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "abzeichnet" vs "auszeichnet" - 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 "abzeichnet" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "auszeichnet" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #481,656 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abzeichnet" and "auszeichnet" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Abzeichen vs abzeichnet". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #481,656 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.