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 eye mixes übernahm and Übernahme
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. übernahm runs 8 letters (VCVCCVCC) against Übernahme's 9 (VCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between übernahm and Übernahme
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: übernahm is [ˌyːbɐˈnaːm] while Übernahme is [ˈyːbɐˌnaːmə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “übernahm” sits inside “Übernahme”, and the parts of speech differ too (unknown vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. 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.
Orthographic DNA of übernahm vs Übernahme
Shared letters: abehmnrü. Private to "übernahm": -. Private to "Übernahme": -.
"übernahm" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC · "Übernahme" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "übernahm" and "Übernahme" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "übernahm" or "Übernahme"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "übernahm" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Übernahme" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,985,879 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übernahm" and "Übernahme" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "übernahm vs übersah". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,985,879 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.