unterstützenvsUnterstützerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: unterstützen is a verb, Unterstützer is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“unterstützen” is a verb and “Unterstützer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,493
“unterstützen” frequency rank
#8,645
“Unterstützer” frequency rank
10138
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature unterstützen Unterstützer
Definition jemandem bei etwas helfen, entweder durch tatkräftige Hilfe oder auch durch einen finanziellen Beitrag jemand, der sich für etwas (Person, Vorhaben, ...) einsetzt

Where the spellings diverge

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

12 ch
unterstützen
12 ch
Unterstützer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: unterstützen is [ˌʊntɐˈʃtʏt͡sn̩] while Unterstützer is [ʊntɐˈʃtʏt͡sɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “unterstützen” becomes r in “Unterstützer”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10138, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

unterstützen is recorded at frequency rank #1,493, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈʃtʏt͡sn̩]. Unterstützer is at rank #8,645, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʊntɐˈʃtʏt͡sɐ].

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 10138, this pair ranks #1,976,602 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of unterstützen vs Unterstützer

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

"unterstützen" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC  ·  "Unterstützer" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

unterstützen#1,493
Unterstützer#8,645

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "unterstützen" and "Unterstützer" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "unterstützen" is a verb and "Unterstützer" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "unterstützen" or "Unterstützer"?
"unterstützen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,493 in our German list, against #8,645 for "Unterstützer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering unterstützen vs Unterstützer

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “unterstützen”; for a noun, it's “Unterstützer”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “unterstützen” 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