unbestimmtevsunbestimmtenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,098
“unbestimmte” frequency rank
#38,468
“unbestimmten” frequency rank
58566
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature unbestimmte unbestimmten
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs unbestimmt Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs unbestimmt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unbestimmte and unbestimmten apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
unbestimmte
12 ch
unbestimmten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. unbestimmte ([ˈʊnbəʃtɪmtə]) and unbestimmten ([ˈʊnbəʃtɪmtn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “unbestimmte” sits inside “unbestimmten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58566, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

unbestimmte is recorded at frequency rank #20,098, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʊnbəʃtɪmtə]. unbestimmten is at rank #38,468, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʊnbəʃtɪmtn̩].

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 58566, this pair ranks #857,852 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of unbestimmte vs unbestimmten

Shared letters: beimnstu. Private to "unbestimmte": -. Private to "unbestimmten": -.

"unbestimmte" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCCV  ·  "unbestimmten" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • unbestimmtenubestimmte · ubnestimmte · unbbestimmte · unbesitmmte · unbesstimmte · unbestimmet · unbestimmtte · unbestimte
  • unbestimmtennubestimmten · ubnestimmten · unbbestimmten · unbesitmmten · unbesstimmten · unbestimmetn · unbestimmtenn · unbestimmtne

Frequency comparison

unbestimmte#20,098
unbestimmten#38,468

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "unbestimmte" and "unbestimmten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʊnbəʃtɪmtə] versus [ˈʊnbəʃtɪmtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "unbestimmte" or "unbestimmten"?
"unbestimmte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,098 in our German list, against #38,468 for "unbestimmten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering unbestimmte vs unbestimmten

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 “unbestimmte” 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