Which to use
“überlassen” and “unterlassen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,417
- “überlassen” frequency rank
- #13,503
- “unterlassen” frequency rank
- 16920
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überlassen | unterlassen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem ein Lebewesen oder eine Sache anvertrauen | (meist bewusst) etwas nicht tun (oder nicht mehr tun) |
Where the eye mixes überlassen and unterlassen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. überlassen runs 10 letters (VCVCCVCCVC) against unterlassen's 11 (VCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between überlassen and unterlassen
A purely visual mix-up. überlassen ([ˌyːbɐˈlasn̩]) and unterlassen ([ˌʊntɐˈlasn̩]) 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 16920, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
überlassen is recorded at frequency rank #3,417, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈlasn̩]. unterlassen is at rank #13,503, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈlasn̩].
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 16920, this pair ranks #1,931,923 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of überlassen vs unterlassen
Shared letters: aelnrs. Private to "überlassen": bü. Private to "unterlassen": tu.
"überlassen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVC · "unterlassen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unterlassen ← nuterlassen · unetrlassen · unnterlassen · untelrassen · unteralssen · unterlasen · unterlasesn · unterlassenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "überlassen" and "unterlassen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "überlassen" or "unterlassen"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "überlassen" and "unterlassen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "überlassen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unterlassen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,931,923 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überlassen" and "unterlassen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überlassen vs überlesen". 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 #1,931,923 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.