übernimmtvsunternimmtTell them apart

Which to use

“übernimmt” and “unternimmt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#3,166
“übernimmt” frequency rank
#14,693
“unternimmt” frequency rank
17859
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature übernimmt unternimmt
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs übernehmen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs unternehmen

Where the eye mixes übernimmt and unternimmt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. übernimmt runs 9 letters (VCVCCVCCC) against unternimmt's 10 (VCCVCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
übernimmt
10 ch
unternimmt

Look-alike desk: übernimmt vs unternimmt

A purely visual mix-up. übernimmt ([ˌyːbɐˈnɪmt]) and unternimmt ([ˌʔʊntɐˈnɪmt]) 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 17859, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

übernimmt is recorded at frequency rank #3,166, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈnɪmt]. unternimmt is at rank #14,693, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌʔʊntɐˈnɪmt].

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 17859, this pair ranks #1,923,611 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of übernimmt vs unternimmt

Shared letters: eimnrt. Private to "übernimmt": bü. Private to "unternimmt": u.

"übernimmt" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCC  ·  "unternimmt" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • unternimmt ← nuternimmt · unetrnimmt · unnternimmt · untenrimmt · unterinmmt · unternimmtt · unternimt · unternimtm

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "übernimmt" and "unternimmt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈnɪmt] versus [ˌʔʊntɐˈnɪmt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "übernimmt" or "unternimmt"?
"übernimmt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,166 in our German list, against #14,693 for "unternimmt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "übernimmt" and "unternimmt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "übernimmt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "unternimmt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,923,611 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "übernimmt" and "unternimmt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überkommt vs übernimmt". 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 #1,923,611 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list