Which to use
“unterschrieb” is a verb and “unterschrieben” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,345
- “unterschrieb” frequency rank
- #6,867
- “unterschrieben” frequency rank
- 30212
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unterschrieb | unterschrieben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs unterschreiben | mit einer Unterschrift versehen |
Where the eye mixes unterschrieb and unterschrieben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. unterschrieb runs 12 letters (VCCVCCCCCVVC) against unterschrieben's 14 (VCCVCCCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses unterschrieb with unterschrieben
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: unterschrieb is [ˌʊntɐˈʃʁiːp] while unterschrieben is [ˌʊntɐˈʃʁiːbn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “unterschrieb” sits inside “unterschrieben”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30212, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unterschrieb is recorded at frequency rank #23,345, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃʁiːp]. unterschrieben is at rank #6,867, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃʁiːbn̩].
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 30212, this pair ranks #1,752,242 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of unterschrieb vs unterschrieben
Shared letters: bcehinrstu. Private to "unterschrieb": -. Private to "unterschrieben": -.
"unterschrieb" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCCCVVC · "unterschrieben" · 14 letters · shape VCCVCCCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unterschrieb ← nuterschrieb · unetrschrieb · unnterschrieb · untercshrieb · unterrschrieb · unterscchrieb · unterschhrieb · unterschireb
- unterschrieben ← nuterschrieben · unetrschrieben · unnterschrieben · untercshrieben · unterrschrieben · unterscchrieben · unterschhrieben · unterschireben
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "unterschrieb" for "unterschrieben" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "unterschrieb" or "unterschrieben" show up more?
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 "unterschrieb" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unterschrieben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,752,242 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unterschrieb" and "unterschrieben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unterschrieben vs unterschritten". 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 #1,752,242 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.