Which to use
“Ausländer” and “Ausläufer” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,796
- “Ausländer” frequency rank
- #27,638
- “Ausläufer” frequency rank
- 31434
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ausländer | Ausläufer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Person aus dem Ausland (Herkunft aus einem anderen Land) | endender, auslaufender Teil, zum Beispiel eines Gebirges oder Hochdruckgebiets |
Where the eye mixes Ausländer and Ausläufer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Ausländer (VVCCVCCVC) and Ausläufer (VVCCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: Ausländer vs Ausläufer
A purely visual mix-up. Ausländer ([ˈaʊ̯sˌlɛndɐ]) and Ausläufer ([ˈaʊ̯sˌlɔɪ̯fɐ]) 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 31434, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ausländer is recorded at frequency rank #3,796, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌlɛndɐ]. Ausläufer is at rank #27,638, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌlɔɪ̯fɐ].
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 31434, this pair ranks #1,728,157 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ausländer vs Ausläufer
Shared letters: aelrsuä. Private to "Ausländer": dn. Private to "Ausläufer": f.
"Ausländer" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC · "Ausläufer" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Ausländer" and "Ausläufer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Ausländer" or "Ausläufer"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ausländer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Ausläufer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,728,157 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ausländer" and "Ausläufer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Auslauf vs Ausläufer". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,728,157 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.