unterdrückenvsUnterdrückungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: unterdrücken is a verb, Unterdrückung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“unterdrücken” is a verb and “Unterdrückung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#11,771
“unterdrücken” frequency rank
#9,106
“Unterdrückung” frequency rank
20877
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature unterdrücken Unterdrückung
Definition jemanden (oft mit Gewalt) daran hindern, frei zu entscheiden und sich frei zu entfalten Verhinderung eines Geschehens

Where the spellings diverge

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

12 ch
unterdrücken
13 ch
Unterdrückung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

unterdrücken and Unterdrückung 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 1 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 20877, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

unterdrücken is recorded at frequency rank #11,771, classified as averb, pronounced [ʊntɐˈdʁʏkn̩]. Unterdrückung is at rank #9,106, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈdʁʏkʊŋ].

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 20877, this pair ranks #1,892,718 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

unterdrücken#11,771
Unterdrückung#9,106

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "unterdrücken" and "Unterdrückung" be used interchangeably?
No, "unterdrücken" and "Unterdrückung" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering unterdrücken vs Unterdrückung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “unterdrücken”; for a noun, it's “Unterdrückung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “unterdrücken” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list