Which to use
“unterschreibe” and “unterschreiben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,842
- “unterschreibe” frequency rank
- #5,124
- “unterschreiben” frequency rank
- 36966
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unterschreibe | unterschreiben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs unterschreiben | ein Dokument mit der Unterschrift des eigenen Namens versehen, seinen Namen/seine Unterschrift/sein Zeichen unter ein Dokument / ein Gesetz / einen Vertrag setzen |
Where the eye mixes unterschreibe and unterschreiben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 13 letters in sequence. unterschreibe runs 13 letters (VCCVCCCCCVVCV) against unterschreiben's 14 (VCCVCCCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: unterschreibe vs unterschreiben
A purely visual mix-up. unterschreibe ([ˌʊntɐˈʃʁaɪ̯bə]) and unterschreiben ([ˌʊntɐˈʃʁaɪ̯bn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “unterschreibe” sits inside “unterschreiben”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36966, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unterschreibe is recorded at frequency rank #31,842, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃʁaɪ̯bə]. unterschreiben is at rank #5,124, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃʁaɪ̯bn̩].
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 36966, this pair ranks #1,602,175 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of unterschreibe vs unterschreiben
Shared letters: bcehinrstu. Private to "unterschreibe": -. Private to "unterschreiben": -.
"unterschreibe" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCCCCVVCV · "unterschreiben" · 14 letters · shape VCCVCCCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unterschreibe ← nuterschreibe · unetrschreibe · unnterschreibe · untercshreibe · unterrschreibe · unterscchreibe · unterscheribe · unterschhreibe
- unterschreiben ← nuterschreiben · unetrschreiben · unnterschreiben · untercshreiben · unterrschreiben · unterscchreiben · unterscheriben · unterschhreiben
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "unterschreibe" and "unterschreiben" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "unterschreibe" or "unterschreiben"?
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 "unterschreibe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unterschreiben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,602,175 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unterschreibe" and "unterschreiben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unterscheide vs unterschreibe". 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 #1,602,175 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.