übernahmvsÜbernahmeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: übernahm is a unknown, Übernahme is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“übernahm” is an unknown and “Übernahme” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,244
“übernahm” frequency rank
#3,790
“Übernahme” frequency rank
8034
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature übernahm Übernahme
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv von übernehmen Besitzergreifung, Fortführung einer Verwaltung

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set übernahm and Übernahme apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
übernahm
9 ch
Übernahme

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

übernahm and Übernahme form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “übernahm” sits inside “Übernahme” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8034, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

übernahm is recorded at frequency rank #4,244, classified as anunknown, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈnaːm]. Übernahme is at rank #3,790, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌnaːmə].

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 8034, this pair ranks #1,985,879 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

übernahm#4,244
Übernahme#3,790

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "übernahm" and "Übernahme" be used interchangeably?
No, "übernahm" and "Übernahme" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering übernahm vs Übernahme

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an unknown, it's “übernahm”; for a noun, it's “Übernahme”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “übernahm” 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