Which to use
“anstreben” and “austreiben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,499
- “anstreben” frequency rank
- #46,490
- “austreiben” frequency rank
- 66989
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anstreben | austreiben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas zum Ziel haben, nach etwas streben | Weidevieh auf die Weide treiben |
Where the eye mixes anstreben and austreiben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. anstreben runs 9 letters (VCCCCVCVC) against austreiben's 10 (VVCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses anstreben with austreiben
A purely visual mix-up. anstreben ([ˈanˌʃtʁeːbn̩]) and austreiben ([ˈaʊ̯sˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩]) 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 66989, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anstreben is recorded at frequency rank #20,499, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʃtʁeːbn̩]. austreiben is at rank #46,490, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩].
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 66989, this pair ranks #554,930 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of anstreben vs austreiben
Shared letters: abenrst. Private to "anstreben": -. Private to "austreiben": iu.
"anstreben" · 9 letters · shape VCCCCVCVC · "austreiben" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- anstreben ← annstreben · ansrteben · ansstreben · ansterben · anstrbeen · anstrebben · anstrebenn · anstrebne
- austreiben ← asutreiben · ausrteiben · ausstreiben · austeriben · austrebien · austreibben · austreibenn · austreibne
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "anstreben" and "austreiben" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "anstreben" or "austreiben"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "anstreben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "austreiben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #554,930 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anstreben" and "austreiben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abtreiben vs austreiben". 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 #554,930 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.