Which to use
“unterscheiden” is a verb and “Unterscheidung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,522
- “unterscheiden” frequency rank
- #8,644
- “Unterscheidung” frequency rank
- 11166
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unterscheiden | Unterscheidung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | oder mit zwischen: einen Unterschied machen; feststellen, dass etwas verschieden ist | die Tätigkeit, zwei oder mehr Objekte als verschieden (ungleich oder nicht identisch) zu erkennen oder zu definieren |
Where the eye mixes unterscheiden and Unterscheidung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. unterscheiden runs 13 letters (VCCVCCCCVVCVC) against Unterscheidung's 14 (VCCVCCCCVVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: unterscheiden vs Unterscheidung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: unterscheiden is [ˌʊntɐˈʃaɪ̯dn̩] while Unterscheidung is [ʊntɐˈʃaɪ̯dʊŋ]. 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 11166, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unterscheiden is recorded at frequency rank #2,522, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃaɪ̯dn̩]. Unterscheidung is at rank #8,644, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʊntɐˈʃaɪ̯dʊŋ].
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 11166, this pair ranks #1,971,332 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of unterscheiden vs Unterscheidung
Shared letters: cdehinrstu. Private to "unterscheiden": -. Private to "Unterscheidung": g.
"unterscheiden" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCCCVVCVC · "Unterscheidung" · 14 letters · shape VCCVCCCCVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unterscheiden ← nuterscheiden · unetrscheiden · unnterscheiden · untercsheiden · unterrscheiden · untersccheiden · unterscehiden · unterschedien
- Unterscheidung ← nuterscheidung · unetrscheidung · unnterscheidung · untercsheidung · unterrscheidung · untersccheidung · unterscehidung · unterschediung
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "unterscheiden" for "Unterscheidung" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "unterscheiden" or "Unterscheidung" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "unterscheiden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Unterscheidung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,971,332 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unterscheiden" and "Unterscheidung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unterscheide vs unterscheiden". 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 #1,971,332 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.