Which to use
“untermalt” and “untersagt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,271
- “untermalt” frequency rank
- #8,804
- “untersagt” frequency rank
- 49075
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | untermalt | untersagt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs untermalen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs untersagen |
Where the eye mixes untermalt and untersagt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between untermalt and untersagt
A purely visual mix-up. untermalt ([ˌʊntɐˈmaːlt]) and untersagt ([ˌʊntɐˈzaːkt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49075, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
untermalt is recorded at frequency rank #40,271, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈmaːlt]. untersagt is at rank #8,804, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈzaːkt].
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 49075, this pair ranks #1,224,956 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of untermalt vs untersagt
Shared letters: aenrtu. Private to "untermalt": lm. Private to "untersagt": gs.
"untermalt" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC · "untersagt" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "untermalt" for "untersagt" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "untermalt" or "untersagt" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "untermalt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "untersagt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,224,956 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "untermalt" and "untersagt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unterhalte vs untermalt". 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 #1,224,956 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.