Which to use
“übel” is an adjective and “Ufer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,225
- “übel” frequency rank
- #4,660
- “Ufer” frequency rank
- 7885
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übel | Ufer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schlecht, krank, unwohl (seiend) | Randbereich zwischen Gewässer und Land |
Where the eye mixes übel and Ufer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses übel with Ufer
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: übel is [ˈyːbl̩] while Ufer is [ˈuːfɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7885, 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]. Ufer is at rank #4,660, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈuːfɐ].
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 7885, this pair ranks #1,986,499 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of übel vs Ufer
Shared letters: e. Private to "übel": blü. Private to "Ufer": fru.
"übel" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "Ufer" · 4 letters · shape VCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Ufer ← fuer · uefr · uferr · uffer · ufre
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "übel" and "Ufer" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "übel" vs "Ufer" - which ranks higher?
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 "Ufer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,986,499 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übel" and "Ufer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ufer vs Uke". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,986,499 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.