AufgabevsAusgabenTell them apart

Which to use

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

#1,027
“Aufgabe” frequency rank
#2,755
“Ausgaben” frequency rank
3782
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Aufgabe Ausgaben
Definition etwas, das zu erledigen ist; Arbeitsauftrag Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Ausgabe

Where the eye mixes Aufgabe and Ausgaben

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

7 ch
Aufgabe
8 ch
Ausgaben

Why the eye confuses Aufgabe with Ausgaben

A purely visual mix-up. Aufgabe ([ˈaʊ̯fˌɡaːbə]) and Ausgaben ([ˈaʊ̯sˌɡaːbn̩]) 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 3782, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Aufgabe is recorded at frequency rank #1,027, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌɡaːbə]. Ausgaben is at rank #2,755, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌɡaːbn̩].

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 3782, this pair ranks #1,999,382 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Aufgabe vs Ausgaben

Shared letters: abegu. Private to "Aufgabe": f. Private to "Ausgaben": ns.

"Aufgabe" · 7 letters · shape VVCCVCV  ·  "Ausgaben" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Aufgabeafugabe · aufagbe · auffgabe · aufgabbe · aufgaeb · aufgbae · aufggabe · augfabe
  • Ausgabenasugaben · augsaben · ausagben · ausgabben · ausgabenn · ausgabne · ausgaebn · ausgbaen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Aufgabe" and "Ausgaben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaʊ̯fˌɡaːbə] versus [ˈaʊ̯sˌɡaːbn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Aufgabe" or "Ausgaben"?
"Aufgabe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,027 in our German list, against #2,755 for "Ausgaben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Aufgabe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Ausgaben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,999,382 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Aufgabe" and "Ausgaben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ausgab vs Ausgaben". 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 #1,999,382 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