Which to use
“übel” is an adjective and “Übels” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,225
- “übel” frequency rank
- #39,750
- “Übels” frequency rank
- 42975
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übel | Übels |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schlecht, krank, unwohl (seiend) | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Übel |
Where the eye mixes übel and Übels
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. übel runs 4 letters (VCVC) against Übels's 5 (VCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: übel vs Übels
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: übel is [ˈyːbl̩] while Übels is [ˈyːbl̩s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “übel” sits inside “Übels”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42975, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
übel is recorded at frequency rank #3,225, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈyːbl̩]. Übels is at rank #39,750, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈyːbl̩s].
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 42975, this pair ranks #1,432,511 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of übel vs Übels
Shared letters: belü. Private to "übel": -. Private to "Übels": s.
"übel" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "Übels" · 5 letters · shape VCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "übel" and "Übels" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "übel" or "Übels" 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 "übel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Übels" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,432,511 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übel" and "Übels" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Übels vs übles". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,432,511 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.