Which to use
“übernahm” and “unternahm” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,244
- “übernahm” frequency rank
- #16,026
- “unternahm” frequency rank
- 20270
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übernahm | unternahm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv von übernehmen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv von unternehmen |
Where the eye mixes übernahm and unternahm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. übernahm runs 8 letters (VCVCCVCC) against unternahm's 9 (VCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between übernahm and unternahm
A purely visual mix-up. übernahm ([ˌyːbɐˈnaːm]) and unternahm ([ˌʊntɐˈnaːm]) 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 20270, 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]. unternahm is at rank #16,026, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈnaːm].
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 20270, this pair ranks #1,899,501 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of übernahm vs unternahm
Shared letters: aehmnr. Private to "übernahm": bü. Private to "unternahm": tu.
"übernahm" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC · "unternahm" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unternahm ← nuternahm · unetrnahm · unnternahm · untenrahm · unteranhm · unternahhm · unternahmm · unternamh
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "übernahm" and "unternahm" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "übernahm" vs "unternahm" - which ranks higher?
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 "unternahm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,899,501 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übernahm" and "unternahm" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Unterarm vs unternahm". 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 #1,899,501 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.