ansteigenvsaussteigenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,504
“ansteigen” frequency rank
#8,679
“aussteigen” frequency rank
26183
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ansteigen aussteigen
Definition an Höhe gewinnen, nach oben verlaufen sich aus einem Beförderungsmittel begeben, ein Verkehrsmittel verlassen

Where the eye mixes ansteigen and aussteigen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. ansteigen runs 9 letters (VCCCVVCVC) against aussteigen's 10 (VVCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
ansteigen
10 ch
aussteigen

Look-alike desk: ansteigen vs aussteigen

A purely visual mix-up. ansteigen ([ˈanˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]) and aussteigen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]) 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 26183, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ansteigen is recorded at frequency rank #17,504, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]. aussteigen is at rank #8,679, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩].

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 26183, this pair ranks #1,821,917 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ansteigen vs aussteigen

Shared letters: aeginst. Private to "ansteigen": -. Private to "aussteigen": u.

"ansteigen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCVC  ·  "aussteigen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ansteigen ← annsteigen · ansetigen · anssteigen · anstegien · ansteiegn · ansteigenn · ansteiggen · ansteigne
  • aussteigen ← asusteigen · aussetigen · ausstegien · aussteiegn · aussteigenn · aussteiggen · aussteigne · ausstiegen

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "ansteigen" and "aussteigen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "ansteigen" vs "aussteigen" - which ranks higher?
"aussteigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,679 in our German list, against #17,504 for "ansteigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "ansteigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "aussteigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,821,917 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ansteigen" and "aussteigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ansteigen vs ansteigende". 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 #1,821,917 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list