Which to use
“unterdessen” is an adverb and “unterlassen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,340
- “unterdessen” frequency rank
- #13,503
- “unterlassen” frequency rank
- 24843
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unterdessen | unterlassen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | im selben Zeitraum wie ein anderer Vorgang stattfindend | (meist bewusst) etwas nicht tun (oder nicht mehr tun) |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unterdessen and unterlassen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: unterdessen is [ʊntɐˈdɛsn̩] while unterlassen is [ˌʊntɐˈlasn̩]. 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 (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24843, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unterdessen is recorded at frequency rank #11,340, classified as anadv, pronounced [ʊntɐˈdɛsn̩]. unterlassen is at rank #13,503, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈlasn̩].
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 24843, this pair ranks #1,841,865 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of unterdessen vs unterlassen
Shared letters: enrstu. Private to "unterdessen": d. Private to "unterlassen": al.
"unterdessen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC · "unterlassen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unterdessen ← nuterdessen · unetrdessen · unnterdessen · untedressen · unterddessen · unterdesen · unterdesesn · unterdessenn
- unterlassen ← nuterlassen · unetrlassen · unnterlassen · untelrassen · unteralssen · unterlasen · unterlasesn · unterlassenn
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unterdessen" and "unterlassen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "unterdessen" or "unterlassen"?
Remembering unterdessen vs unterlassen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “unterdessen”; for a verb, it's “unterlassen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “unterdessen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable