übel vs übles, What's the Difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set übel and übles apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch

übel

5 ch

übles

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

übel#3,225

übles#45,081

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "übel" and "übles" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈyːbl̩] versus [ˈyːbləs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "übel" or "übles"?

"übel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,225 in our German list, against #45,081 for "übles". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering übel vs übles

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 “übel” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable