übersetztvsunbesetztWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,349
“übersetzt” frequency rank
#37,258
“unbesetzt” frequency rank
40607
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature übersetzt unbesetzt
Definition zu stark erhöht, zu hoch (angesetzt) nicht besetzt, von niemandem benutzt, noch frei

Where the eye mixes übersetzt and unbesetzt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. übersetzt (VCVCCVCCC) and unbesetzt (VCCVCVCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

9 ch
übersetzt
9 ch
unbesetzt

Visual trap between übersetzt and unbesetzt

A purely visual mix-up. übersetzt ([ˌyːbɐˈzɛt͡st]) and unbesetzt ([ˈʊnbəˌzɛt͡st]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40607, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

übersetzt is recorded at frequency rank #3,349, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈzɛt͡st]. unbesetzt is at rank #37,258, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʊnbəˌzɛt͡st].

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 40607, this pair ranks #1,503,644 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of übersetzt vs unbesetzt

Shared letters: bestz. Private to "übersetzt": rü. Private to "unbesetzt": nu.

"übersetzt" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCC  ·  "unbesetzt" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • unbesetzt ← nubesetzt · ubnesetzt · unbbesetzt · unbeestzt · unbesettz · unbesettzt · unbesetztt · unbesetzzt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "übersetzt" and "unbesetzt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈzɛt͡st] versus [ˈʊnbəˌzɛt͡st]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "übersetzt" or "unbesetzt"?
"übersetzt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,349 in our German list, against #37,258 for "unbesetzt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "übersetzt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "unbesetzt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,503,644 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "übersetzt" and "unbesetzt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unbenutzt vs unbesetzt". 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 #1,503,644 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