Which to use
“unterlag” and “unterlegt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,761
- “unterlag” frequency rank
- #28,898
- “unterlegt” frequency rank
- 39659
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unterlag | unterlegt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs unterliegen | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs unterlegen |
Where the eye mixes unterlag and unterlegt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. unterlag runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against unterlegt's 9 (VCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses unterlag with unterlegt
A purely visual mix-up. unterlag ([ˌʊntɐˈlaːk]) and unterlegt ([ˌʊntɐˈleːkt]) 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 39659, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unterlag is recorded at frequency rank #10,761, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈlaːk]. unterlegt is at rank #28,898, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈleːkt].
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 39659, this pair ranks #1,530,497 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of unterlag vs unterlegt
Shared letters: eglnrtu. Private to "unterlag": a. Private to "unterlegt": -.
"unterlag" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "unterlegt" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unterlag" and "unterlegt" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "unterlag" vs "unterlegt" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "unterlag" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unterlegt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,530,497 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unterlag" and "unterlegt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unterlegt vs Unterleib". 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 #1,530,497 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.