auslegenvsausredenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,261
“auslegen” frequency rank
#10,231
“ausreden” frequency rank
32492
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature auslegen ausreden
Definition eine Fläche mehr oder weniger lückenlos mit flächigen Teilen bedecken jemanden dazu veranlassen, dass er seine Meinung oder ein Vorhaben aufgibt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set auslegen and ausreden apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
auslegen
8 ch
ausreden

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. auslegen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌleːɡn̩]) and ausreden ([ˈaʊ̯sˌʁeːdn̩]) 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 32492, 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]. ausreden is at rank #10,231, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌʁeːdn̩].

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 32492, this pair ranks #1,706,437 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of auslegen vs ausreden

Shared letters: aensu. Private to "auslegen": gl. Private to "ausreden": dr.

"auslegen" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCVC  ·  "ausreden" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • auslegenasulegen · aulsegen · auselgen · ausleegn · auslegenn · ausleggen · auslegne · auslgeen
  • ausredenasureden · aurseden · auserden · ausrdeen · ausredden · ausredenn · ausredne · ausreedn

Frequency comparison

auslegen#22,261
ausreden#10,231

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "auslegen" and "ausreden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaʊ̯sˌleːɡn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯sˌʁeːdn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "auslegen" or "ausreden"?
"ausreden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,231 in our German list, against #22,261 for "auslegen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering auslegen vs ausreden

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 “auslegen” 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