Which to use
“unterstrich” and “unterstrichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,385
- “unterstrich” frequency rank
- #22,187
- “unterstrichen” frequency rank
- 51572
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unterstrich | unterstrichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs unterstreichen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs unterstreichen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unterstrich and unterstrichen apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. unterstrich ([ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁɪç]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “unterstrich” sits inside “unterstrichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51572, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unterstrich is recorded at frequency rank #29,385, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃtʁɪç]. 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 51572, this pair ranks #1,130,330 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of unterstrich vs unterstrichen
Shared letters: cehinrstu. Private to "unterstrich": -. Private to "unterstrichen": -.
"unterstrich" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCCVCC · "unterstrichen" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unterstrich ← nuterstrich · unetrstrich · unnterstrich · unterrstrich · untersrtich · untersstrich · unterstirch · unterstrcih
- unterstrichen ← nuterstrichen · unetrstrichen · unnterstrichen · unterrstrichen · untersrtichen · untersstrichen · unterstirchen · unterstrcihen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unterstrich" and "unterstrichen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "unterstrich" or "unterstrichen"?
Remembering unterstrich vs unterstrichen
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 “unterstrich” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable