Which to use
“abzubauen” and “auszubauen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,113
- “abzubauen” frequency rank
- #13,548
- “auszubauen” frequency rank
- 32661
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abzubauen | auszubauen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abbauen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ausbauen |
Where the eye mixes abzubauen and auszubauen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abzubauen runs 9 letters (VCCVCVVVC) against auszubauen's 10 (VVCCVCVVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abzubauen with auszubauen
A purely visual mix-up. abzubauen ([ˈapt͡suˌbaʊ̯ən]) and auszubauen ([ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌbaʊ̯ən]) 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 32661, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abzubauen is recorded at frequency rank #19,113, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌbaʊ̯ən]. auszubauen is at rank #13,548, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌbaʊ̯ən].
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 32661, this pair ranks #1,702,819 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abzubauen vs auszubauen
Shared letters: abenuz. Private to "abzubauen": -. Private to "auszubauen": s.
"abzubauen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVVVC · "auszubauen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abzubauen ← abbzubauen · abuzbauen · abzbuauen · abzuabuen · abzubaeun · abzubauenn · abzubaune · abzubbauen
- auszubauen ← asuzubauen · ausszubauen · ausuzbauen · auszbuauen · auszuabuen · auszubaeun · auszubauenn · auszubaune
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "abzubauen" and "auszubauen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "abzubauen" or "auszubauen"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "abzubauen" and "auszubauen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "abzubauen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "auszubauen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,702,819 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abzubauen" and "auszubauen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "auszubauen vs auszubeuten". 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 #1,702,819 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.