unterstützevsunterstützenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,578
“unterstütze” frequency rank
#1,493
“unterstützen” frequency rank
12071
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature unterstütze unterstützen
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs unterstützen jemandem bei etwas helfen, entweder durch tatkräftige Hilfe oder auch durch einen finanziellen Beitrag

Where the spellings diverge

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

11 ch
unterstütze
12 ch
unterstützen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. unterstütze ([ˌʊntɐˈʃtʏt͡sə]) and unterstützen ([ˌʊntɐˈʃtʏt͡sn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “unterstütze” sits inside “unterstützen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12071, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

unterstütze is recorded at frequency rank #10,578, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃtʏt͡sə]. unterstützen is at rank #1,493, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃtʏt͡sn̩].

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 12071, this pair ranks #1,966,340 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of unterstütze vs unterstützen

Shared letters: enrstuzü. Private to "unterstütze": -. Private to "unterstützen": -.

"unterstütze" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCV  ·  "unterstützen" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

unterstütze#10,578
unterstützen#1,493

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "unterstütze" and "unterstützen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌʊntɐˈʃtʏt͡sə] versus [ˌʊntɐˈʃtʏt͡sn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "unterstütze" or "unterstützen"?
"unterstützen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,493 in our German list, against #10,578 for "unterstütze". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering unterstütze vs unterstützen

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 “unterstütze” 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