Which to use
“unterstehen” and “untersuchen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,827
- “unterstehen” frequency rank
- #4,393
- “untersuchen” frequency rank
- 37220
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unterstehen | untersuchen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | untergeben sein | etwas analysieren oder erforschen, sich etwas sehr genau anschauen, um es zu verstehen |
Where the eye mixes unterstehen and untersuchen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. unterstehen (VCCVCCCVCVC) and untersuchen (VCCVCCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses unterstehen with untersuchen
A purely visual mix-up. unterstehen ([ʊntɐˈʃteːən]) and untersuchen ([ˌʊntɐˈzuːxn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37220, 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]. untersuchen is at rank #4,393, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈzuːxn̩].
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 37220, this pair ranks #1,595,800 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of unterstehen vs untersuchen
Shared letters: ehnrstu. Private to "unterstehen": -. Private to "untersuchen": c.
"unterstehen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCVC · "untersuchen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unterstehen ← nuterstehen · unetrstehen · unnterstehen · unterrstehen · untersethen · untersstehen · untersteehn · unterstehenn
- untersuchen ← nutersuchen · unetrsuchen · unntersuchen · unterrsuchen · unterscuhen · unterssuchen · untersucchen · untersucehn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "unterstehen" for "untersuchen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "unterstehen" vs "untersuchen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "unterstehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "untersuchen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,595,800 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unterstehen" and "untersuchen" 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 #1,595,800 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.