unterstreichtvsunterstrichWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,500
“unterstreicht” frequency rank
#29,385
“unterstrich” frequency rank
44885
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature unterstreicht unterstrich
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs unterstreichen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs unterstreichen

Where the spellings diverge

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

13 ch
unterstreicht
11 ch
unterstrich

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. unterstreicht ([ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁaɪ̯çt]) and unterstrich ([ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁɪç]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44885, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

unterstreicht is recorded at frequency rank #15,500, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁaɪ̯çt]. unterstrich is at rank #29,385, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁɪç].

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 44885, this pair ranks #1,371,501 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of unterstreicht vs unterstrich

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

"unterstreicht" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCCCVVCCC  ·  "unterstrich" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • unterstreichtnuterstreicht · unetrstreicht · unnterstreicht · unterrstreicht · untersrteicht · untersstreicht · unterstericht · unterstreciht
  • unterstrichnuterstrich · unetrstrich · unnterstrich · unterrstrich · untersrtich · untersstrich · unterstirch · unterstrcih

Frequency comparison

unterstreicht#15,500
unterstrich#29,385

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "unterstreicht" and "unterstrich" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁaɪ̯çt] versus [ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁɪç]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "unterstreicht" or "unterstrich"?
"unterstreicht" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,500 in our German list, against #29,385 for "unterstrich". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering unterstreicht vs unterstrich

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “unterstreicht” 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