Which to use
“aufgefallen” and “ausgefallen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,794
- “aufgefallen” frequency rank
- #8,828
- “ausgefallen” frequency rank
- 12622
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufgefallen | ausgefallen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs auffallen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs ausfallen |
Where the eye mixes aufgefallen and ausgefallen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. aufgefallen and ausgefallen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VVCCVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses aufgefallen with ausgefallen
A purely visual mix-up. aufgefallen ([ˈaʊ̯fɡəˌfalən]) and ausgefallen ([ˈaʊ̯sɡəˌfalən]) 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 “aufgefallen” becomes s in “ausgefallen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12622, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufgefallen is recorded at frequency rank #3,794, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fɡəˌfalən]. ausgefallen is at rank #8,828, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sɡəˌfalən].
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 12622, this pair ranks #1,963,052 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aufgefallen vs ausgefallen
Shared letters: aefglnu. Private to "aufgefallen": -. Private to "ausgefallen": s.
"aufgefallen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC · "ausgefallen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufgefallen ← afugefallen · aufegfallen · auffgefallen · aufgeafllen · aufgefaleln · aufgefalen · aufgefallenn · aufgefallne
- ausgefallen ← asugefallen · augsefallen · ausegfallen · ausgeafllen · ausgefaleln · ausgefalen · ausgefallenn · ausgefallne
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufgefallen" and "ausgefallen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "aufgefallen" or "ausgefallen" show up more?
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 "aufgefallen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ausgefallen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,963,052 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufgefallen" and "ausgefallen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ausgefahren vs ausgefallen". 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 #1,963,052 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.