ansprechenvsausbrechenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,891
“ansprechen” frequency rank
#19,496
“ausbrechen” frequency rank
26387
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ansprechen ausbrechen
Definition anfangen mit jemandem zu sprechen; mit jemandem ein Gespräch beginnen sich aus Mauern, Gittern, Gefängnis, Konventionen oder Ähnlichem befreien

Where the spellings diverge

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

10 ch
ansprechen
10 ch
ausbrechen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ansprechen ([ˈanˌʃpʁɛçn̩]) and ausbrechen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌbʁɛçn̩]) 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 26387, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ansprechen is recorded at frequency rank #6,891, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʃpʁɛçn̩]. ausbrechen is at rank #19,496, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌbʁɛçn̩].

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 26387, this pair ranks #1,818,946 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ansprechen vs ausbrechen

Shared letters: acehnrs. Private to "ansprechen": p. Private to "ausbrechen": bu.

"ansprechen" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC  ·  "ausbrechen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ansprechenannsprechen · anpsrechen · ansperchen · anspprechen · ansprcehen · ansprecchen · ansprecehn · ansprechenn
  • ausbrechenasubrechen · aubsrechen · ausbbrechen · ausberchen · ausbrcehen · ausbrecchen · ausbrecehn · ausbrechenn

Frequency comparison

ansprechen#6,891
ausbrechen#19,496

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ansprechen" and "ausbrechen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌʃpʁɛçn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯sˌbʁɛçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ansprechen" or "ausbrechen"?
"ansprechen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,891 in our German list, against #19,496 for "ausbrechen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ansprechen vs ausbrechen

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 “ansprechen” 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