ausschöpfenvsauszuschöpfenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#33,449
“ausschöpfen” frequency rank
#48,740
“auszuschöpfen” frequency rank
82189
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ausschöpfen auszuschöpfen
Definition etwas, in dem sich Flüssigkeit befindet, (mit einer Schöpfkelle) leeren erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs ausschöpfen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ausschöpfen and auszuschöpfen apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
ausschöpfen
13 ch
auszuschöpfen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ausschöpfen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌʃœp͡fn̩]) and auszuschöpfen ([ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌʃœp͡fn̩]) 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 82189, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ausschöpfen is recorded at frequency rank #33,449, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃœp͡fn̩]. auszuschöpfen is at rank #48,740, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌʃœp͡fn̩].

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 82189, this pair ranks #161,746 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ausschöpfen vs auszuschöpfen

Shared letters: acefhnpsuö. Private to "ausschöpfen": -. Private to "auszuschöpfen": z.

"ausschöpfen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCCCVCCVC  ·  "auszuschöpfen" · 13 letters · shape VVCCVCCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

ausschöpfen#33,449
auszuschöpfen#48,740

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ausschöpfen" and "auszuschöpfen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaʊ̯sˌʃœp͡fn̩] versus [ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌʃœp͡fn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ausschöpfen" or "auszuschöpfen"?
"ausschöpfen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,449 in our German list, against #48,740 for "auszuschöpfen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ausschöpfen vs auszuschöpfen

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 “ausschöpfen” 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