Which to use
“ausbauen” and “aussahen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,681
- “ausbauen” frequency rank
- #31,944
- “aussahen” frequency rank
- 41625
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ausbauen | aussahen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Teil aus einer Maschine, einer technischen Anlage herausnehmen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs aussehen |
Where the eye mixes ausbauen and aussahen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ausbauen (VVCCVVVC) and aussahen (VVCCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: ausbauen vs aussahen
A purely visual mix-up. ausbauen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌbaʊ̯ən]) and aussahen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌzaːən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41625, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ausbauen is recorded at frequency rank #9,681, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌbaʊ̯ən]. aussahen is at rank #31,944, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌzaːən].
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 41625, this pair ranks #1,473,835 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ausbauen vs aussahen
Shared letters: aensu. Private to "ausbauen": b. Private to "aussahen": h.
"ausbauen" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVVVC · "aussahen" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ausbauen" and "aussahen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ausbauen" or "aussahen"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ausbauen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aussahen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,473,835 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ausbauen" and "aussahen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aussahen vs aussehend". 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 #1,473,835 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.