Which to use
“auslegen” is a verb and “Auslegung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,261
- “auslegen” frequency rank
- #9,147
- “Auslegung” frequency rank
- 31408
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | auslegen | Auslegung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Fläche mehr oder weniger lückenlos mit flächigen Teilen bedecken | Versuch, die Bedeutung eines geistigen Produktes zu erschließen |
Where the eye mixes auslegen and Auslegung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. auslegen runs 8 letters (VVCCVCVC) against Auslegung's 9 (VVCCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses auslegen with Auslegung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: auslegen is [ˈaʊ̯sˌleːɡn̩] while Auslegung is [ˈaʊ̯sˌleːɡʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31408, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
auslegen is recorded at frequency rank #22,261, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌleːɡn̩]. Auslegung is at rank #9,147, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌleːɡʊŋ].
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 31408, this pair ranks #1,728,727 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of auslegen vs Auslegung
Shared letters: aeglnsu. Private to "auslegen": -. Private to "Auslegung": -.
"auslegen" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCVC · "Auslegung" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "auslegen" and "Auslegung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "auslegen" vs "Auslegung" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "auslegen" and "Auslegung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "auslegen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Auslegung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,728,727 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "auslegen" and "Auslegung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Auslagen vs auslegen". 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 #1,728,727 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.