Which to use
“umgehen” and “umzugehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,342
- “umgehen” frequency rank
- #9,647
- “umzugehen” frequency rank
- 12989
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | umgehen | umzugehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein physisches Hindernis umgehen, einen Umweg nehmen, aber auch mit übertragener Bedeutung: etwas auf eine umständliche Weise erledigen, weil die normale, einfache Weise aus irgendeinem Grunde in diesem Falle nicht funktioniert | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs umgehen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set umgehen and umzugehen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
umgehen and umzugehen 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 2 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 12989, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
umgehen is recorded at frequency rank #3,342, classified as averb, pronounced [ʊmˈɡeːən]. umzugehen is at rank #9,647, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʊmt͡suɡeːən].
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 12989, this pair ranks #1,960,793 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "umgehen" and "umzugehen" be used interchangeably?
Remembering umgehen vs umzugehen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “umgehen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable