Which to use
“aufbrechen” and “ausbrechen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,821
- “aufbrechen” frequency rank
- #19,496
- “ausbrechen” frequency rank
- 35317
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufbrechen | ausbrechen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas, das verschlossen ist, mit Gewalt öffnen | sich aus Mauern, Gittern, Gefängnis, Konventionen oder Ähnlichem befreien |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set aufbrechen and ausbrechen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. aufbrechen ([ˈaʊ̯fˌbʁɛçn̩]) and ausbrechen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌbʁɛçn̩]) 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 a single letter - f in “aufbrechen” becomes s in “ausbrechen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35317, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufbrechen is recorded at frequency rank #15,821, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌbʁɛçn̩]. ausbrechen is at rank #19,496, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌbʁɛçn̩].
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 35317, this pair ranks #1,642,854 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aufbrechen vs ausbrechen
Shared letters: abcehnru. Private to "aufbrechen": f. Private to "ausbrechen": s.
"aufbrechen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVCCVC · "ausbrechen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufbrechen ← afubrechen · aubfrechen · aufbbrechen · aufberchen · aufbrcehen · aufbrecchen · aufbrecehn · aufbrechenn
- ausbrechen ← asubrechen · aubsrechen · ausbbrechen · ausberchen · ausbrcehen · ausbrecchen · ausbrecehn · ausbrechenn
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufbrechen" and "ausbrechen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "aufbrechen" or "ausbrechen"?
Remembering aufbrechen vs ausbrechen
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 “aufbrechen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable