Which to use
“auswählen” and “auszuwählen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,615
- “auswählen” frequency rank
- #25,054
- “auszuwählen” frequency rank
- 35669
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | auswählen | auszuwählen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich für eine von mehreren Möglichkeiten entscheiden | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs auswählen |
Where the eye mixes auswählen and auszuwählen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. auswählen runs 9 letters (VVCCVCCVC) against auszuwählen's 11 (VVCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses auswählen with auszuwählen
A purely visual mix-up. auswählen ([ˈaʊ̯sˌvɛːlən]) and auszuwählen ([ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌvɛːlən]) 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 35669, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
auswählen is recorded at frequency rank #10,615, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sˌvɛːlən]. auszuwählen is at rank #25,054, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌvɛːlən].
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 35669, this pair ranks #1,634,414 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of auswählen vs auszuwählen
Shared letters: aehlnsuwä. Private to "auswählen": -. Private to "auszuwählen": z.
"auswählen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC · "auszuwählen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "auswählen" and "auszuwählen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "auswählen" vs "auszuwählen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "auswählen" and "auszuwählen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "auswählen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "auszuwählen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,634,414 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "auswählen" and "auszuwählen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "auszuwählen vs auszuzahlen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,634,414 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.