Which to use
“unterlassen” is a verb and “Unterlassung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,503
- “unterlassen” frequency rank
- #34,956
- “Unterlassung” frequency rank
- 48459
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unterlassen | Unterlassung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (meist bewusst) etwas nicht tun (oder nicht mehr tun) | (oft absichtliches) Ausbleiben einer Handlung |
Where the eye mixes unterlassen and Unterlassung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. unterlassen runs 11 letters (VCCVCCVCCVC) against Unterlassung's 12 (VCCVCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses unterlassen with Unterlassung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: unterlassen is [ˌʊntɐˈlasn̩] while Unterlassung is [ˌʊntɐˈlasʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48459, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unterlassen is recorded at frequency rank #13,503, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈlasn̩]. Unterlassung is at rank #34,956, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈlasʊŋ].
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 48459, this pair ranks #1,247,830 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of unterlassen vs Unterlassung
Shared letters: aelnrstu. Private to "unterlassen": -. Private to "Unterlassung": g.
"unterlassen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC · "Unterlassung" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unterlassen ← nuterlassen · unetrlassen · unnterlassen · untelrassen · unteralssen · unterlasen · unterlasesn · unterlassenn
- Unterlassung ← nuterlassung · unetrlassung · unnterlassung · untelrassung · unteralssung · unterlassnug · unterlassugn · unterlassungg
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unterlassen" and "Unterlassung" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "unterlassen" vs "Unterlassung" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "unterlassen" and "Unterlassung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "unterlassen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Unterlassung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,247,830 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unterlassen" and "Unterlassung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Überlassung vs Unterlassung". 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 #1,247,830 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.