Which to use
“anrichten” and “ausrichten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,308
- “anrichten” frequency rank
- #9,148
- “ausrichten” frequency rank
- 22456
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anrichten | ausrichten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas Schlechtes, einen Schaden verursachen | eine Richtung geben, justieren |
Where the eye mixes anrichten and ausrichten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. anrichten runs 9 letters (VCCVCCCVC) against ausrichten's 10 (VVCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: anrichten vs ausrichten
A purely visual mix-up. anrichten ([ˈanˌʁɪçtn̩]) and ausrichten ([ˈaʊ̯sˌʁɪçtn̩]) 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 22456, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anrichten is recorded at frequency rank #13,308, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʁɪçtn̩]. ausrichten is at rank #9,148, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌʁɪçtn̩].
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 22456, this pair ranks #1,873,931 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of anrichten vs ausrichten
Shared letters: acehinrt. Private to "anrichten": -. Private to "ausrichten": su.
"anrichten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC · "ausrichten" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- anrichten ← anirchten · annrichten · anrcihten · anricchten · anrichetn · anrichhten · anrichtenn · anrichtne
- ausrichten ← asurichten · aursichten · ausirchten · ausrcihten · ausricchten · ausrichetn · ausrichhten · ausrichtenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "anrichten" and "ausrichten" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "anrichten" or "ausrichten" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "anrichten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ausrichten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,873,931 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anrichten" and "ausrichten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anrichten vs anrichtet". 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 #1,873,931 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.