UnterschriftvsUnterschriftenConfusable pair

Which to use

“Unterschrift” and “Unterschriften” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,122
“Unterschrift” frequency rank
#11,147
“Unterschriften” frequency rank
18269
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Unterschrift Unterschriften
Definition meist eigenhändig geschriebener Namenszug, der als Bestätigung unter ein Dokument gesetzt wird Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Unterschrift

Where the eye mixes Unterschrift and Unterschriften

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. Unterschrift runs 12 letters (VCCVCCCCCVCC) against Unterschriften's 14 (VCCVCCCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

12 ch
Unterschrift
14 ch
Unterschriften

Look-alike desk: Unterschrift vs Unterschriften

A purely visual mix-up. Unterschrift ([ˈʊntɐˌʃʁɪft]) and Unterschriften ([ˈʊntɐʃʁɪftn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Unterschrift” sits inside “Unterschriften”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18269, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Unterschrift is recorded at frequency rank #7,122, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʊntɐˌʃʁɪft]. Unterschriften is at rank #11,147, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʊntɐʃʁɪftn̩].

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 18269, this pair ranks #1,919,839 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Unterschrift vs Unterschriften

Shared letters: cefhinrstu. Private to "Unterschrift": -. Private to "Unterschriften": -.

"Unterschrift" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCCCVCC  ·  "Unterschriften" · 14 letters · shape VCCVCCCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Unterschrift ← nuterschrift · unetrschrift · unnterschrift · untercshrift · unterrschrift · unterscchrift · unterschhrift · unterschirft
  • Unterschriften ← nuterschriften · unetrschriften · unnterschriften · untercshriften · unterrschriften · unterscchriften · unterschhriften · unterschirften

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Unterschrift" for "Unterschriften" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʊntɐˌʃʁɪft] versus [ˈʊntɐʃʁɪftn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Unterschrift" or "Unterschriften"?
"Unterschrift" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,122 in our German list, against #11,147 for "Unterschriften". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Unterschrift" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Unterschriften" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,919,839 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Unterschrift" and "Unterschriften" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Unterschriften 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 #1,919,839 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list