übrigvsÜbungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: übrig is a adjective, Übung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“übrig” is an adjective and “Übung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,136
“übrig” frequency rank
#4,584
“Übung” frequency rank
6720
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature übrig Übung
Definition noch vorhanden, verbleibend, restlich Lerntechnik zur aktiven Aneignung einer bestimmten Fertigkeit, das praktische Üben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set übrig and Übung apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
übrig
5 ch
Übung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: übrig is [ˈyːbʁɪç] while Übung is [ˈyːbʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6720, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

übrig is recorded at frequency rank #2,136, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈyːbʁɪç]. Übung is at rank #4,584, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈyːbʊŋ].

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 6720, this pair ranks #1,990,664 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of übrig vs Übung

Shared letters: bgü. Private to "übrig": ir. Private to "Übung": nu.

"übrig" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "Übung" · 5 letters · shape VCVCC

Frequency comparison

übrig#2,136
Übung#4,584

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "übrig" and "Übung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "übrig" is an adjective and "Übung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "übrig" or "Übung"?
"übrig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,136 in our German list, against #4,584 for "Übung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering übrig vs Übung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “übrig”; for a noun, it's “Übung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “übrig” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list