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 spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set übernehmen and Unternehmen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
übernehmen and Unternehmen 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 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. 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.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "übernehmen" and "Unternehmen" be used interchangeably?
Remembering übernehmen vs Unternehmen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “übernehmen”; for a noun, it's “Unternehmen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “übernehmen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable