Which to use
“übernehmen” is a verb and “Unternehmen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,688
- “übernehmen” frequency rank
- #372
- “Unternehmen” frequency rank
- 2060
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übernehmen | Unternehmen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich etwas von jemandem nehmen, zu eigen machen; jemandem etwas wegnehmen | Gesellschaft, die in Produktion oder Handel tätig ist oder Dienstleistungen erbringt |
Where the eye mixes übernehmen and Unternehmen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. übernehmen runs 10 letters (VCVCCVCCVC) against Unternehmen's 11 (VCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses übernehmen with Unternehmen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: übernehmen is [yːbɐˈneːmən] while Unternehmen is [ʊntɐˈneːmən]. 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 2060, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
übernehmen is recorded at frequency rank #1,688, classified as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈneːmən]. Unternehmen is at rank #372, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʊntɐˈneːmən].
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 2060, this pair ranks #2,003,193 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of übernehmen vs Unternehmen
Shared letters: ehmnr. Private to "übernehmen": bü. Private to "Unternehmen": tu.
"übernehmen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVC · "Unternehmen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Unternehmen ← nuternehmen · unetrnehmen · unnternehmen · untenrehmen · unterenhmen · unternehemn · unternehhmen · unternehmenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "übernehmen" for "Unternehmen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "übernehmen" vs "Unternehmen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "übernehmen" and "Unternehmen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "übernehmen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Unternehmen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,003,193 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übernehmen" and "Unternehmen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Unternehmen vs Unternehmerin". 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 #2,003,193 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.