anstellenvsausstellenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#7,718
“anstellen” frequency rank
#16,360
“ausstellen” frequency rank
24078
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature anstellen ausstellen
Definition einen Gegenstand an einen anderen anlehnen etwas zur Schau stellen

Where the eye mixes anstellen and ausstellen

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

9 ch
anstellen
10 ch
ausstellen

Visual trap between anstellen and ausstellen

A purely visual mix-up. anstellen ([ˈanˌʃtɛlən]) and ausstellen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌʃtɛlən]) 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 24078, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

anstellen is recorded at frequency rank #7,718, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʃtɛlən]. ausstellen is at rank #16,360, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃtɛlən].

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 24078, this pair ranks #1,852,660 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of anstellen vs ausstellen

Shared letters: aelnst. Private to "anstellen": -. Private to "ausstellen": u.

"anstellen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "ausstellen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • anstellen ← annstellen · ansetllen · ansstellen · ansteleln · anstelen · anstellenn · anstellne · anstlelen
  • ausstellen ← asustellen · aussetllen · aussteleln · ausstelen · ausstellenn · ausstellne · ausstlelen · aussttellen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "anstellen" and "ausstellen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌʃtɛlən] versus [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃtɛlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "anstellen" vs "ausstellen" - which ranks higher?
"anstellen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,718 in our German list, against #16,360 for "ausstellen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "anstellen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "ausstellen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,852,660 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "anstellen" and "ausstellen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ausstellen vs ausstellt". 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 #1,852,660 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