Which to use
“ausstehen” is a verb and “Aussterben” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,452
- “ausstehen” frequency rank
- #12,461
- “Aussterben” frequency rank
- 37913
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ausstehen | Aussterben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erwartet werden, aber noch fehlen | Verschwinden einer Art in ihrem Ansiedlungsgebiet durch das Sterben aller Individuen dieser Art |
Where the eye mixes ausstehen and Aussterben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. ausstehen runs 9 letters (VVCCCVCVC) against Aussterben's 10 (VVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ausstehen with Aussterben
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ausstehen is [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃteːən] while Aussterben is [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃtɛʁbn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37913, 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]. Aussterben is at rank #12,461, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌʃtɛʁbn̩].
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 37913, this pair ranks #1,577,813 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ausstehen vs Aussterben
Shared letters: aenstu. Private to "ausstehen": h. Private to "Aussterben": br.
"ausstehen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCCVCVC · "Aussterben" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ausstehen ← asustehen · aussethen · aussteehn · ausstehenn · ausstehhen · ausstehne · ausstheen · aussttehen
- Aussterben ← asusterben · aussetrben · ausstebren · aussterbben · aussterbenn · aussterbne · aussterebn · aussterrben
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ausstehen" for "Aussterben" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "ausstehen" or "Aussterben" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ausstehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Aussterben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,577,813 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ausstehen" and "Aussterben" 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 #1,577,813 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.