unterbindenvsunterbundenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#14,965
“unterbinden” frequency rank
#23,343
“unterbunden” frequency rank
38308
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature unterbinden unterbunden
Definition eine Handlung stoppen, verhindern Partizip Perfekt des Verbs unterbinden

Where the eye mixes unterbinden and unterbunden

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. unterbinden and unterbunden follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

11 ch
unterbinden
11 ch
unterbunden

Look-alike desk: unterbinden vs unterbunden

A purely visual mix-up. unterbinden ([ʊntɐˈbɪndn̩]) and unterbunden ([ʊntɐˈbʊndn̩]) 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 a single letter - i in “unterbinden” becomes u in “unterbunden”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38308, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

unterbinden is recorded at frequency rank #14,965, classified as averb, pronounced [ʊntɐˈbɪndn̩]. unterbunden is at rank #23,343, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʊntɐˈbʊndn̩].

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 38308, this pair ranks #1,567,351 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of unterbinden vs unterbunden

Shared letters: bdenrtu. Private to "unterbinden": i. Private to "unterbunden": -.

"unterbinden" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC  ·  "unterbunden" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • unterbinden ← nuterbinden · unetrbinden · unnterbinden · untebrinden · unterbbinden · unterbidnen · unterbindden · unterbindenn
  • unterbunden ← nuterbunden · unetrbunden · unnterbunden · untebrunden · unterbbunden · unterbnuden · unterbudnen · unterbundden

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "unterbinden" and "unterbunden" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ʊntɐˈbɪndn̩] versus [ʊntɐˈbʊndn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "unterbinden" vs "unterbunden" - which ranks higher?
"unterbinden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,965 in our German list, against #23,343 for "unterbunden". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "unterbinden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "unterbunden" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,567,351 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "unterbinden" and "unterbunden" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unterbinden vs unterbringen". 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 #1,567,351 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