Which to use
“aus” is a preposition and “axe” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32
- “aus” frequency rank
- #45,148
- “axe” frequency rank
- 45180
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aus | axe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | von drinnen nach draußen | die Axt, das Beil |
Where the eye mixes aus and axe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses aus with axe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: aus is [aʊ̯s] while axe is [æks]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45180, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aus is recorded at frequency rank #32, classified as aprep, pronounced [aʊ̯s]. axe is at rank #45,148, tagged as anoun, pronounced [æks].
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 45180, this pair ranks #1,361,773 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of aus vs axe
Shared letters: a. Private to "aus": su. Private to "axe": ex.
"aus" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "axe" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aus" and "axe" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "aus" vs "axe" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "aus" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "axe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,361,773 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aus" and "axe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "AUD vs axe". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,361,773 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.