auszuwählenvsauszuzahlenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#25,054
“auszuwählen” frequency rank
#46,493
“auszuzahlen” frequency rank
71547
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature auszuwählen auszuzahlen
Definition erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs auswählen erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs auszahlen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set auszuwählen and auszuzahlen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
auszuwählen
11 ch
auszuzahlen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. auszuwählen ([ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌvɛːlən]) and auszuzahlen ([ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌt͡saːlən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71547, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

auszuwählen is recorded at frequency rank #25,054, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌvɛːlən]. auszuzahlen is at rank #46,493, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌt͡saːlən].

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 71547, this pair ranks #413,663 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of auszuwählen vs auszuzahlen

Shared letters: aehlnsuz. Private to "auszuwählen": . Private to "auszuzahlen": -.

"auszuwählen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC  ·  "auszuzahlen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • auszuzahlenasuzuzahlen · ausszuzahlen · ausuzzahlen · auszuazhlen · auszuzaheln · auszuzahhlen · auszuzahlenn · auszuzahllen

Frequency comparison

auszuwählen#25,054
auszuzahlen#46,493

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "auszuwählen" and "auszuzahlen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌvɛːlən] versus [ˈaʊ̯st͡suˌt͡saːlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "auszuwählen" or "auszuzahlen"?
"auszuwählen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,054 in our German list, against #46,493 for "auszuzahlen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering auszuwählen vs auszuzahlen

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 “auszuwählen” 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