Which to use
“unterschreiben” and “unterschreibt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,124
- “unterschreiben” frequency rank
- #23,755
- “unterschreibt” frequency rank
- 28879
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unterschreiben | unterschreibt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Dokument mit der Unterschrift des eigenen Namens versehen, seinen Namen/seine Unterschrift/sein Zeichen unter ein Dokument / ein Gesetz / einen Vertrag setzen | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs unterschreiben |
Where the eye mixes unterschreiben and unterschreibt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. unterschreiben runs 14 letters (VCCVCCCCCVVCVC) against unterschreibt's 13 (VCCVCCCCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: unterschreiben vs unterschreibt
A purely visual mix-up. unterschreiben ([ˌʊntɐˈʃʁaɪ̯bn̩]) and unterschreibt ([ˌʊntɐˈʃʁaɪ̯pt]) 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 28879, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unterschreiben is recorded at frequency rank #5,124, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃʁaɪ̯bn̩]. unterschreibt is at rank #23,755, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃʁaɪ̯pt].
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 28879, this pair ranks #1,776,941 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of unterschreiben vs unterschreibt
Shared letters: bcehinrstu. Private to "unterschreiben": -. Private to "unterschreibt": -.
"unterschreiben" · 14 letters · shape VCCVCCCCCVVCVC · "unterschreibt" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCCCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unterschreiben ← nuterschreiben · unetrschreiben · unnterschreiben · untercshreiben · unterrschreiben · unterscchreiben · unterscheriben · unterschhreiben
- unterschreibt ← nuterschreibt · unetrschreibt · unnterschreibt · untercshreibt · unterrschreibt · unterscchreibt · unterscheribt · unterschhreibt
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "unterschreiben" for "unterschreibt" ever safe?
Which is more common, "unterschreiben" or "unterschreibt"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "unterschreiben" and "unterschreibt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "unterschreiben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unterschreibt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,776,941 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unterschreiben" and "unterschreibt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unterschreibe vs unterschreibt". 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 #1,776,941 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.