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 eye mixes unterrichten and unterrichtete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. unterrichten runs 12 letters (VCCVCCVCCCVC) against unterrichtete's 13 (VCCVCCVCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between unterrichten and unterrichtete
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: unterrichten is [ˌʊntɐˈʁɪçtn̩] while unterrichtete is [ˌʊntɐˈʁɪçtətə]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. 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.
Orthographic DNA of unterrichten vs unterrichtete
Shared letters: cehinrtu. Private to "unterrichten": -. Private to "unterrichtete": -.
"unterrichten" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCCVC · "unterrichtete" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- unterrichten ← nuterrichten · unetrrichten · unnterrichten · unterichten · unterirchten · unterrcihten · unterricchten · unterrichetn
- unterrichtete ← nuterrichtete · unetrrichtete · unnterrichtete · unterichtete · unterirchtete · unterrcihtete · unterricchtete · unterrichette
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "unterrichten" for "unterrichtete" ever safe?
Frequency check: "unterrichten" vs "unterrichtete" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "unterrichten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unterrichtete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,657,850 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unterrichten" and "unterrichtete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unterrichte vs unterrichtete". 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 #1,657,850 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.