Which to use
“auslachen” and “auslöschen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,427
- “auslachen” frequency rank
- #25,450
- “auslöschen” frequency rank
- 57877
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | auslachen | auslöschen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich über jemanden lustig machen, jemanden verspotten, indem man über ihn lacht | Licht oder Feuer zum Erlöschen bringen |
Where the eye mixes auslachen and auslöschen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. auslachen runs 9 letters (VVCCVCCVC) against auslöschen's 10 (VVCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses auslachen with auslöschen
A purely visual mix-up. auslachen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌlaxn̩]) and auslöschen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌlœʃn̩]) 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 57877, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
auslachen is recorded at frequency rank #32,427, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌlaxn̩]. auslöschen is at rank #25,450, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌlœʃn̩].
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 57877, this pair ranks #884,300 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of auslachen vs auslöschen
Shared letters: acehlnsu. Private to "auslachen": -. Private to "auslöschen": ö.
"auslachen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC · "auslöschen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- auslachen ← asulachen · aulsachen · ausalchen · auslacchen · auslacehn · auslachenn · auslachhen · auslachne
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "auslachen" and "auslöschen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "auslachen" vs "auslöschen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "auslachen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "auslöschen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #884,300 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "auslachen" and "auslöschen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "auslöschen vs auszulöschen". 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 #884,300 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.