AusbauvsAuslaufWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,170
“Ausbau” frequency rank
#35,076
“Auslauf” frequency rank
38246
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ausbau Auslauf
Definition planmäßige Vergrößerung, Erweiterung von etwas Bestehendem Bewegungsfreiheit für jemanden oder etwas

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Ausbau and Auslauf apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Ausbau
7 ch
Auslauf

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Ausbau ([ˈaʊ̯sˌbaʊ̯]) and Auslauf ([aʊ̯slaʊ̯f]) 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 38246, 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]. Auslauf is at rank #35,076, tagged as anoun, pronounced [aʊ̯slaʊ̯f].

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 38246, this pair ranks #1,568,965 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Ausbau vs Auslauf

Shared letters: asu. Private to "Ausbau": b. Private to "Auslauf": fl.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Ausbauasubau · aubsau · ausabu · ausbbau · ausbua · aussbau · uasbau
  • Auslaufasulauf · aulsauf · ausaluf · auslafu · auslauff · ausllauf · ausluaf · ausslauf

Frequency comparison

Ausbau#3,170
Auslauf#35,076

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Ausbau" and "Auslauf" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaʊ̯sˌbaʊ̯] versus [aʊ̯slaʊ̯f]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Ausbau" or "Auslauf"?
"Ausbau" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,170 in our German list, against #35,076 for "Auslauf". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Ausbau vs Auslauf

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 “Ausbau” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list