Which to use
“ausstehen” and “aussteigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,452
- “ausstehen” frequency rank
- #8,679
- “aussteigen” frequency rank
- 34131
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ausstehen | aussteigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erwartet werden, aber noch fehlen | sich aus einem Beförderungsmittel begeben, ein Verkehrsmittel verlassen |
Where the eye mixes ausstehen and aussteigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. ausstehen runs 9 letters (VVCCCVCVC) against aussteigen's 10 (VVCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ausstehen with aussteigen
A purely visual mix-up. ausstehen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌʃteːən]) and aussteigen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34131, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ausstehen is recorded at frequency rank #25,452, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃteːən]. aussteigen is at rank #8,679, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩].
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 34131, this pair ranks #1,670,346 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ausstehen vs aussteigen
Shared letters: aenstu. Private to "ausstehen": h. Private to "aussteigen": gi.
"ausstehen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCCVCVC · "aussteigen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ausstehen ← asustehen · aussethen · aussteehn · ausstehenn · ausstehhen · ausstehne · ausstheen · aussttehen
- aussteigen ← asusteigen · aussetigen · ausstegien · aussteiegn · aussteigenn · aussteiggen · aussteigne · ausstiegen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ausstehen" and "aussteigen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "ausstehen" or "aussteigen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ausstehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aussteigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,670,346 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ausstehen" and "aussteigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aussehend vs ausstehen". 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 #1,670,346 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.