ansprechenvsaussprechenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,891
“ansprechen” frequency rank
#7,282
“aussprechen” frequency rank
14173
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ansprechen aussprechen
Definition anfangen mit jemandem zu sprechen; mit jemandem ein Gespräch beginnen Laute, Worte und Sätze so akustisch gestalten, dass diese hörbar und je nach Sprache verständlich sind

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ansprechen and aussprechen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
ansprechen
11 ch
aussprechen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ansprechen ([ˈanˌʃpʁɛçn̩]) and aussprechen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌʃpʁɛçn̩]) 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 14173, 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]. aussprechen is at rank #7,282, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃpʁɛçn̩].

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 14173, this pair ranks #1,953,066 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ansprechen vs aussprechen

Shared letters: acehnprs. Private to "ansprechen": -. Private to "aussprechen": u.

"ansprechen" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC  ·  "aussprechen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ansprechenannsprechen · anpsrechen · ansperchen · anspprechen · ansprcehen · ansprecchen · ansprecehn · ansprechenn
  • aussprechenasusprechen · ausprechen · auspsrechen · aussperchen · ausspprechen · aussprcehen · aussprecchen · aussprecehn

Frequency comparison

ansprechen#6,891
aussprechen#7,282

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ansprechen" and "aussprechen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌʃpʁɛçn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃpʁɛçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ansprechen" or "aussprechen"?
"ansprechen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,891 in our German list, against #7,282 for "aussprechen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ansprechen vs aussprechen

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