Which to use
“Unternehmen” and “Unternehmung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #372
- “Unternehmen” frequency rank
- #23,344
- “Unternehmung” frequency rank
- 23716
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Unternehmen | Unternehmung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gesellschaft, die in Produktion oder Handel tätig ist oder Dienstleistungen erbringt | Tätigkeit, die ein bestimmtes Ziel hat |
Where the eye mixes Unternehmen and Unternehmung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. Unternehmen runs 11 letters (VCCVCCVCCVC) against Unternehmung's 12 (VCCVCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Unternehmen with Unternehmung
A purely visual mix-up. Unternehmen ([ʊntɐˈneːmən]) and Unternehmung ([ˌʊntɐˈneːmʊŋ]) 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 23716, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Unternehmen is recorded at frequency rank #372, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʊntɐˈneːmən]. Unternehmung is at rank #23,344, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈneːmʊŋ].
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 23716, this pair ranks #1,857,579 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Unternehmen vs Unternehmung
Shared letters: ehmnrtu. Private to "Unternehmen": -. Private to "Unternehmung": g.
"Unternehmen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC · "Unternehmung" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Unternehmen ← nuternehmen · unetrnehmen · unnternehmen · untenrehmen · unterenhmen · unternehemn · unternehhmen · unternehmenn
- Unternehmung ← nuternehmung · unetrnehmung · unnternehmung · untenrehmung · unterenhmung · unternehhmung · unternehmmung · unternehmnug
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Unternehmen" and "Unternehmung" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Unternehmen" vs "Unternehmung" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Unternehmen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Unternehmung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,857,579 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Unternehmen" and "Unternehmung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Unternehmung vs Unternehmungen". 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 #1,857,579 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.