übernachtenvsÜbernachtungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: übernachten is a verb, Übernachtung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“übernachten” is a verb and “Übernachtung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#11,581
“übernachten” frequency rank
#23,395
“Übernachtung” frequency rank
34976
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature übernachten Übernachtung
Definition nachts anderswo schlafen oder ausruhen Aufenthalt zum Schlafen während der Nacht

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set übernachten and Übernachtung apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
übernachten
12 ch
Übernachtung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: übernachten is [yːbɐˈnaxtn̩] while Übernachtung is [ˌyːbɐˈnaxtʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34976, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

übernachten is recorded at frequency rank #11,581, classified as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈnaxtn̩]. Übernachtung is at rank #23,395, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈnaxtʊŋ].

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 34976, this pair ranks #1,650,945 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of übernachten vs Übernachtung

Shared letters: abcehnrtü. Private to "übernachten": -. Private to "Übernachtung": gu.

"übernachten" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCVCCCVC  ·  "Übernachtung" · 12 letters · shape VCVCCVCCCVCC

Frequency comparison

übernachten#11,581
Übernachtung#23,395

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "übernachten" and "Übernachtung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "übernachten" is a verb and "Übernachtung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "übernachten" or "Übernachtung"?
"übernachten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,581 in our German list, against #23,395 for "Übernachtung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering übernachten vs Übernachtung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “übernachten”; for a noun, it's “Übernachtung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “übernachten” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list