AusbauvsAusbausConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#3,170
“Ausbau” frequency rank
#37,369
“Ausbaus” frequency rank
40539
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ausbau Ausbaus
Definition planmäßige Vergrößerung, Erweiterung von etwas Bestehendem Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Ausbau

Where the eye mixes Ausbau and Ausbaus

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Ausbau runs 6 letters (VVCCVV) against Ausbaus's 7 (VVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Ausbau
7 ch
Ausbaus

Visual trap between Ausbau and Ausbaus

A purely visual mix-up. Ausbau ([ˈaʊ̯sˌbaʊ̯]) and Ausbaus ([ˈaʊ̯sˌbaʊ̯s]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Ausbau” sits inside “Ausbaus”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40539, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Ausbau is recorded at frequency rank #3,170, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌbaʊ̯]. Ausbaus is at rank #37,369, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌbaʊ̯s].

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 40539, this pair ranks #1,505,533 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Ausbau vs Ausbaus

Shared letters: absu. Private to "Ausbau": -. Private to "Ausbaus": -.

"Ausbau" · 6 letters · shape VVCCVV  ·  "Ausbaus" · 7 letters · shape VVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Ausbau ← asubau · aubsau · ausabu · ausbbau · ausbua · aussbau · uasbau
  • Ausbaus ← asubaus · aubsaus · ausabus · ausbasu · ausbauss · ausbbaus · ausbuas · aussbaus

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Ausbau" and "Ausbaus" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaʊ̯sˌbaʊ̯] versus [ˈaʊ̯sˌbaʊ̯s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Ausbau" or "Ausbaus"?
"Ausbau" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,170 in our German list, against #37,369 for "Ausbaus". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Ausbau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Ausbaus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,505,533 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Ausbau" and "Ausbaus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ausbaus vs Auslauf". 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 #1,505,533 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