Which to use
“unterstehen” and “unterziehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,827
- “unterstehen” frequency rank
- #15,501
- “unterziehen” frequency rank
- 48328
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unterstehen | unterziehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | untergeben sein | eine (notwendige aber unangenehme oder gefährliche) Maßnahme an oder mit sich durchführen lassen |
Where the eye mixes unterstehen and unterziehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. unterstehen (VCCVCCCVCVC) and unterziehen (VCCVCCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between unterstehen and unterziehen
A purely visual mix-up. unterstehen ([ʊntɐˈʃteːən]) and unterziehen ([ˌʊntɐˈt͡siːən]) 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 48328, 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]. unterziehen is at rank #15,501, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈt͡siːən].
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 48328, this pair ranks #1,252,582 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of unterstehen vs unterziehen
Shared letters: ehnrtu. Private to "unterstehen": s. Private to "unterziehen": iz.
"unterstehen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCVC · "unterziehen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unterstehen ← nuterstehen · unetrstehen · unnterstehen · unterrstehen · untersethen · untersstehen · untersteehn · unterstehenn
- unterziehen ← nuterziehen · unetrziehen · unnterziehen · unterizehen · unterrziehen · unterzeihen · unterzieehn · unterziehenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unterstehen" and "unterziehen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "unterstehen" or "unterziehen" 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 "unterziehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,252,582 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unterstehen" and "unterziehen" 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 #1,252,582 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.