Which to use
“auslöschen” and “auszulöschen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,450
- “auslöschen” frequency rank
- #47,973
- “auszulöschen” frequency rank
- 73423
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | auslöschen | auszulöschen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Licht oder Feuer zum Erlöschen bringen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs auslöschen |
Where the eye mixes auslöschen and auszulöschen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. auslöschen runs 10 letters (VVCCVCCCVC) against auszulöschen's 12 (VVCCVCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between auslöschen and auszulöschen
A purely visual mix-up. auslöschen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌlœʃn̩]) and auszulöschen ([ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌlœʃn̩]) 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 73423, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
auslöschen is recorded at frequency rank #25,450, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌlœʃn̩]. auszulöschen is at rank #47,973, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌlœʃn̩].
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 73423, this pair ranks #360,788 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of auslöschen vs auszulöschen
Shared letters: acehlnsuö. Private to "auslöschen": -. Private to "auszulöschen": z.
"auslöschen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCCCVC · "auszulöschen" · 12 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "auslöschen" for "auszulöschen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "auslöschen" or "auszulöschen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "auslöschen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "auszulöschen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #360,788 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "auslöschen" and "auszulöschen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "auszulöschen vs auszulösen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #360,788 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.