unterrichtenvsunterrichteteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: unterrichten is a verb, unterrichtete is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“unterrichten” is a verb and “unterrichtete” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,471
“unterrichten” frequency rank
#26,206
“unterrichtete” frequency rank
34677
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature unterrichten unterrichtete
Definition jemandem etwas beibringen Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs unterrichtet

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unterrichten and unterrichtete apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
unterrichten
13 ch
unterrichtete

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

unterrichten and unterrichtete form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34677, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

unterrichten is recorded at frequency rank #8,471, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʁɪçtn̩]. unterrichtete is at rank #26,206, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʁɪçtətə].

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 34677, this pair ranks #1,657,850 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

unterrichten#8,471
unterrichtete#26,206

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "unterrichten" and "unterrichtete" be used interchangeably?
No, "unterrichten" and "unterrichtete" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering unterrichten vs unterrichtete

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “unterrichten”; for an adjective, it's “unterrichtete”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “unterrichten” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list