Which to use
“unterstehen” and “unterstellen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,827
- “unterstehen” frequency rank
- #15,773
- “unterstellen” frequency rank
- 48600
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unterstehen | unterstellen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | untergeben sein | jemandem die Verfügungsgewalt geben über etwas (Aufgaben, Personen, Institutionen, Militärverbände) |
Where the eye mixes unterstehen and unterstellen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. unterstehen runs 11 letters (VCCVCCCVCVC) against unterstellen's 12 (VCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between unterstehen and unterstellen
A purely visual mix-up. unterstehen ([ʊntɐˈʃteːən]) and unterstellen ([ˌʊntɐˈʃtɛlən]) 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 48600, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unterstehen is recorded at frequency rank #32,827, classified as averb, pronounced [ʊntɐˈʃteːən]. unterstellen is at rank #15,773, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃtɛlən].
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 48600, this pair ranks #1,242,514 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of unterstehen vs unterstellen
Shared letters: enrstu. Private to "unterstehen": h. Private to "unterstellen": l.
"unterstehen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCVC · "unterstellen" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unterstehen ← nuterstehen · unetrstehen · unnterstehen · unterrstehen · untersethen · untersstehen · untersteehn · unterstehenn
- unterstellen ← nuterstellen · unetrstellen · unnterstellen · unterrstellen · untersetllen · untersstellen · untersteleln · unterstelen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unterstehen" and "unterstellen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "unterstehen" or "unterstellen" 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 "unterstehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unterstellen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,242,514 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unterstehen" and "unterstellen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unterstehen vs untersteht". 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 #1,242,514 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.