Which to use
“unerwünscht” and “unerwünschte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,742
- “unerwünscht” frequency rank
- #22,181
- “unerwünschte” frequency rank
- 41923
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unerwünscht | unerwünschte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht gewollt, nicht willkommen, entbehrlich | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs unerwünscht |
Where the eye mixes unerwünscht and unerwünschte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. unerwünscht runs 11 letters (VCVCCVCCCCC) against unerwünschte's 12 (VCVCCVCCCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between unerwünscht and unerwünschte
A purely visual mix-up. unerwünscht ([ˈʊnʔɛɐ̯ˌvʏnʃt]) and unerwünschte ([ˈʊnʔɛɐ̯ˌvʏnʃtə]) 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) - “unerwünscht” sits inside “unerwünschte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41923, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unerwünscht is recorded at frequency rank #19,742, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʊnʔɛɐ̯ˌvʏnʃt]. unerwünschte is at rank #22,181, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʊnʔɛɐ̯ˌvʏnʃtə].
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 41923, this pair ranks #1,464,979 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of unerwünscht vs unerwünschte
Shared letters: cehnrstuwü. Private to "unerwünscht": -. Private to "unerwünschte": -.
"unerwünscht" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCVCCCCC · "unerwünschte" · 12 letters · shape VCVCCVCCCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unerwünscht" and "unerwünschte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "unerwünscht" or "unerwünschte"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "unerwünscht" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unerwünschte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,464,979 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unerwünscht" and "unerwünschte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unerwünschte vs unerwünschten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,464,979 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.