Which to use
“unterstreichen” and “unterstrichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,167
- “unterstreichen” frequency rank
- #22,187
- “unterstrichen” frequency rank
- 39354
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unterstreichen | unterstrichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Textstelle mit einer Linie unter der Zeile hervorheben | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs unterstreichen |
Where the eye mixes unterstreichen and unterstrichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 13 letters in sequence. unterstreichen runs 14 letters (VCCVCCCCVVCCVC) against unterstrichen's 13 (VCCVCCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses unterstreichen with unterstrichen
A purely visual mix-up. unterstreichen ([ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁaɪ̯çn̩]) and unterstrichen ([ʊntɐˈʃtʁɪçn̩]) 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 39354, 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]. unterstrichen is at rank #22,187, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʊntɐˈʃtʁɪçn̩].
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 39354, this pair ranks #1,539,063 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of unterstreichen vs unterstrichen
Shared letters: cehinrstu. Private to "unterstreichen": -. Private to "unterstrichen": -.
"unterstreichen" · 14 letters · shape VCCVCCCCVVCCVC · "unterstrichen" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unterstreichen ← nuterstreichen · unetrstreichen · unnterstreichen · unterrstreichen · untersrteichen · untersstreichen · untersterichen · unterstrecihen
- unterstrichen ← nuterstrichen · unetrstrichen · unnterstrichen · unterrstrichen · untersrtichen · untersstrichen · unterstirchen · unterstrcihen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "unterstreichen" for "unterstrichen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "unterstreichen" or "unterstrichen"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "unterstreichen" and "unterstrichen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "unterstreichen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unterstrichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,539,063 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unterstreichen" and "unterstrichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unterstrich vs unterstrichen". 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 #1,539,063 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.