Which to use
“auslegen” and “auszulegen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,261
- “auslegen” frequency rank
- #31,445
- “auszulegen” frequency rank
- 53706
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | auslegen | auszulegen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Fläche mehr oder weniger lückenlos mit flächigen Teilen bedecken | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs auslegen |
Where the eye mixes auslegen and auszulegen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. auslegen runs 8 letters (VVCCVCVC) against auszulegen's 10 (VVCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: auslegen vs auszulegen
A purely visual mix-up. auslegen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌleːɡn̩]) and auszulegen ([ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌleːɡn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53706, 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]. auszulegen is at rank #31,445, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌleːɡn̩].
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 53706, this pair ranks #1,047,544 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of auslegen vs auszulegen
Shared letters: aeglnsu. Private to "auslegen": -. Private to "auszulegen": z.
"auslegen" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCVC · "auszulegen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- auslegen ← asulegen · aulsegen · auselgen · ausleegn · auslegenn · ausleggen · auslegne · auslgeen
- auszulegen ← asuzulegen · ausszulegen · ausuzlegen · auszluegen · auszuelgen · auszuleegn · auszulegenn · auszuleggen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "auslegen" and "auszulegen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "auslegen" vs "auszulegen" - 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 "auslegen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "auszulegen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,047,544 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "auslegen" and "auszulegen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "auszulegen vs auszusagen". 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 #1,047,544 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.