ÜberweisungvsUnterweisungWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,280
“Überweisung” frequency rank
#42,893
“Unterweisung” frequency rank
58173
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Überweisung Unterweisung
Definition die Übertragung von Geld von einem Bankkonto zum anderen Handlung, jemand mit etwas ihm Unbekanntem vertraut zu machen

Where the eye mixes Überweisung and Unterweisung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Überweisung runs 11 letters (VCVCCVVCVCC) against Unterweisung's 12 (VCCVCCVVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch
Überweisung
12 ch
Unterweisung

Visual trap between Überweisung and Unterweisung

A purely visual mix-up. Überweisung ([ˌyːbɐˈvaɪ̯zʊŋ]) and Unterweisung ([ʊntɐˈvaɪ̯zʊŋ]) 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 58173, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Überweisung is recorded at frequency rank #15,280, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈvaɪ̯zʊŋ]. Unterweisung is at rank #42,893, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʊntɐˈvaɪ̯zʊŋ].

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 58173, this pair ranks #872,927 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Überweisung vs Unterweisung

Shared letters: eginrsuw. Private to "Überweisung": bü. Private to "Unterweisung": t.

"Überweisung" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVCC  ·  "Unterweisung" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCVVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Unterweisung ← nuterweisung · unetrweisung · unnterweisung · unterewisung · unterrweisung · unterweisnug · unterweissung · unterweisugn

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Überweisung" and "Unterweisung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈvaɪ̯zʊŋ] versus [ʊntɐˈvaɪ̯zʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Überweisung" or "Unterweisung"?
"Überweisung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,280 in our German list, against #42,893 for "Unterweisung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Überweisung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Unterweisung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #872,927 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Überweisung" and "Unterweisung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Unterteilung vs Unterweisung". 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 #872,927 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