anstehenvsausstehenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,802
“anstehen” frequency rank
#25,452
“ausstehen” frequency rank
43254
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature anstehen ausstehen
Definition sich an das Ende einer Schlange stellen und warten, um an die Reihe zu kommen erwartet werden, aber noch fehlen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set anstehen and ausstehen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
anstehen
9 ch
ausstehen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. anstehen ([ˈanˌʃteːən]) and ausstehen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌʃteːən]) 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 43254, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

anstehen is recorded at frequency rank #17,802, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʃteːən]. ausstehen is at rank #25,452, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃteːən].

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 43254, this pair ranks #1,423,899 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of anstehen vs ausstehen

Shared letters: aehnst. Private to "anstehen": -. Private to "ausstehen": u.

"anstehen" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC  ·  "ausstehen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • anstehenannstehen · ansethen · ansstehen · ansteehn · anstehenn · anstehhen · anstehne · anstheen
  • ausstehenasustehen · aussethen · aussteehn · ausstehenn · ausstehhen · ausstehne · ausstheen · aussttehen

Frequency comparison

anstehen#17,802
ausstehen#25,452

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "anstehen" and "ausstehen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌʃteːən] versus [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃteːən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "anstehen" or "ausstehen"?
"anstehen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,802 in our German list, against #25,452 for "ausstehen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering anstehen vs ausstehen

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 “anstehen” 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