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 eye mixes ansprechen and aussprechen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. ansprechen runs 10 letters (VCCCCVCCVC) against aussprechen's 11 (VVCCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ansprechen with aussprechen
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
- ansprechen ← annsprechen · anpsrechen · ansperchen · anspprechen · ansprcehen · ansprecchen · ansprecehn · ansprechenn
- aussprechen ← asusprechen · ausprechen · auspsrechen · aussperchen · ausspprechen · aussprcehen · aussprecchen · aussprecehn
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ansprechen" and "aussprechen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "ansprechen" or "aussprechen" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ansprechen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aussprechen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,953,066 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ansprechen" and "aussprechen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ansprachen vs ansprechen". 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 #1,953,066 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.