übernahmvsÜbernahmenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#4,244
“übernahm” frequency rank
#11,160
“Übernahmen” frequency rank
15404
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature übernahm Übernahmen
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv von übernehmen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Übernahme

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
übernahm
10 ch
Übernahmen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: übernahm is [ˌyːbɐˈnaːm] while Übernahmen is [ˈyːbɐˌnaːmən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “übernahm” sits inside “Übernahmen”, and the parts of speech differ too (unknown vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15404, 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]. Übernahmen is at rank #11,160, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌnaːmən].

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 15404, this pair ranks #1,944,103 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of übernahm vs Übernahmen

Shared letters: abehmnrü. Private to "übernahm": -. Private to "Übernahmen": -.

"übernahm" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC  ·  "Übernahmen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

übernahm#4,244
Übernahmen#11,160

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "übernahm" and "Übernahmen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "übernahm" is an unknown and "Übernahmen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "übernahm" or "Übernahmen"?
"übernahm" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,244 in our German list, against #11,160 for "Übernahmen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering übernahm vs Übernahmen

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 “Übernahmen”.
  • 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