Which to use
“untergehen” and “unterstehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,967
- “untergehen” frequency rank
- #32,827
- “unterstehen” frequency rank
- 46794
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | untergehen | unterstehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | versinken, unter oder in etwas verschwinden; nicht mehr hörbar sein, weil durch andere Geräusche oder Lärm übertönt | untergeben sein |
Where the eye mixes untergehen and unterstehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. untergehen runs 10 letters (VCCVCCVCVC) against unterstehen's 11 (VCCVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: untergehen vs unterstehen
A purely visual mix-up. untergehen ([ˈʊntɐˌɡeːən]) and unterstehen ([ʊntɐˈʃteːən]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46794, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
untergehen is recorded at frequency rank #13,967, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʊntɐˌɡeːən]. unterstehen is at rank #32,827, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʊntɐˈʃteːən].
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 46794, this pair ranks #1,306,747 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of untergehen vs unterstehen
Shared letters: ehnrtu. Private to "untergehen": g. Private to "unterstehen": s.
"untergehen" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVC · "unterstehen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- untergehen ← nutergehen · unetrgehen · unntergehen · untegrehen · untereghen · untergeehn · untergehenn · untergehhen
- unterstehen ← nuterstehen · unetrstehen · unnterstehen · unterrstehen · untersethen · untersstehen · untersteehn · unterstehenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "untergehen" and "unterstehen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "untergehen" or "unterstehen"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "untergehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unterstehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,306,747 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "untergehen" and "unterstehen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unterstehen vs untersteht". 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 #1,306,747 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.