ausgrabenvsausraubenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,044
“ausgraben” frequency rank
#31,943
“ausrauben” frequency rank
72987
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ausgraben ausrauben
Definition mit einem Werkzeug (wie Schaufel oder dergleichen) oder mit den Händen aus dem Erdreich holen jemandem alles wegnehmen; etwas vollständig (von Wertvollem) leeren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ausgraben and ausrauben apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
ausgraben
9 ch
ausrauben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ausgraben ([ˈaʊ̯sˌɡʁaːbn̩]) and ausrauben ([ˈaʊ̯sˌʁaʊ̯bn̩]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72987, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ausgraben is recorded at frequency rank #41,044, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌɡʁaːbn̩]. ausrauben is at rank #31,943, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌʁaʊ̯bn̩].

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 72987, this pair ranks #372,868 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ausgraben vs ausrauben

Shared letters: abenrsu. Private to "ausgraben": g. Private to "ausrauben": -.

"ausgraben" · 9 letters · shape VVCCCVCVC  ·  "ausrauben" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ausgrabenasugraben · augsraben · ausgarben · ausggraben · ausgrabben · ausgrabenn · ausgrabne · ausgraebn
  • ausraubenasurauben · aursauben · ausaruben · ausrabuen · ausraubben · ausraubenn · ausraubne · ausrauebn

Frequency comparison

ausgraben#41,044
ausrauben#31,943

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ausgraben" and "ausrauben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaʊ̯sˌɡʁaːbn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯sˌʁaʊ̯bn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ausgraben" or "ausrauben"?
"ausrauben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,943 in our German list, against #41,044 for "ausgraben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ausgraben vs ausrauben

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 “ausgraben” 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