unterstreichenvsunterstreichtConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#17,167
“unterstreichen” frequency rank
#15,500
“unterstreicht” frequency rank
32667
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature unterstreichen unterstreicht
Definition eine Textstelle mit einer Linie unter der Zeile hervorheben 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs unterstreichen

Where the eye mixes unterstreichen and unterstreicht

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. unterstreichen runs 14 letters (VCCVCCCCVVCCVC) against unterstreicht's 13 (VCCVCCCCVVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

14 ch
unterstreichen
13 ch
unterstreicht

Look-alike desk: unterstreichen vs unterstreicht

A purely visual mix-up. unterstreichen ([ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁaɪ̯çn̩]) and unterstreicht ([ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁaɪ̯çt]) 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 32667, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

unterstreichen is recorded at frequency rank #17,167, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁaɪ̯çn̩]. unterstreicht is at rank #15,500, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁaɪ̯çt].

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 32667, this pair ranks #1,702,676 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of unterstreichen vs unterstreicht

Shared letters: cehinrstu. Private to "unterstreichen": -. Private to "unterstreicht": -.

"unterstreichen" · 14 letters · shape VCCVCCCCVVCCVC  ·  "unterstreicht" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCCCVVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • unterstreichen ← nuterstreichen · unetrstreichen · unnterstreichen · unterrstreichen · untersrteichen · untersstreichen · untersterichen · unterstrecihen
  • unterstreicht ← nuterstreicht · unetrstreicht · unnterstreicht · unterrstreicht · untersrteicht · untersstreicht · unterstericht · unterstreciht

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "unterstreichen" and "unterstreicht" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁaɪ̯çn̩] versus [ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁaɪ̯çt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "unterstreichen" vs "unterstreicht" - which ranks higher?
"unterstreicht" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,500 in our German list, against #17,167 for "unterstreichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "unterstreichen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "unterstreicht" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,702,676 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "unterstreichen" and "unterstreicht" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unterstreicht vs unterstrich". 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 #1,702,676 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