unterstellenvsunterstellteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: unterstellen is a verb, unterstellte is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“unterstellen” is a verb and “unterstellte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#15,773
“unterstellen” frequency rank
#36,690
“unterstellte” frequency rank
52463
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature unterstellen unterstellte
Definition jemandem die Verfügungsgewalt geben über etwas (Aufgaben, Personen, Institutionen, Militärverbände) Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs unterstellt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unterstellen and unterstellte apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
unterstellen
12 ch
unterstellte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

unterstellen and unterstellte form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52463, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

unterstellen is recorded at frequency rank #15,773, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃtɛlən]. unterstellte is at rank #36,690, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃtɛltə].

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 52463, this pair ranks #1,095,885 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

unterstellen#15,773
unterstellte#36,690

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "unterstellen" and "unterstellte" be used interchangeably?
No, "unterstellen" and "unterstellte" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering unterstellen vs unterstellte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “unterstellen”; for an adjective, it's “unterstellte”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “unterstellen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list