Which to use
“übel” and “übles” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,225
- “übel” frequency rank
- #45,081
- “übles” frequency rank
- 48306
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übel | übles |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schlecht, krank, unwohl (seiend) | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs übel |
Where the eye mixes übel and übles
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. übel runs 4 letters (VCVC) against übles's 5 (VCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: übel vs übles
A purely visual mix-up. übel ([ˈyːbl̩]) and übles ([ˈyːbləs]) 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 48306, 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]. übles is at rank #45,081, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈyːbləs].
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 48306, this pair ranks #1,253,399 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of übel vs übles
Shared letters: belü. Private to "übel": -. Private to "übles": s.
"übel" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "übles" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "übel" and "übles" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "übel" or "übles" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "übel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "übles" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,253,399 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übel" and "übles" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Übels vs übles". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,253,399 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.