unterstützenvsUnterstützungWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#1,493
“unterstützen” frequency rank
#979
“Unterstützung” frequency rank
2472
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature unterstützen Unterstützung
Definition jemandem bei etwas helfen, entweder durch tatkräftige Hilfe oder auch durch einen finanziellen Beitrag Hilfe oder Mithilfe von jemandem (oder im übertragenen Sinne auch von etwas)

Where the spellings diverge

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

12 ch
unterstützen
13 ch
Unterstützung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: unterstützen is [ˌʊntɐˈʃtʏt͡sn̩] while Unterstützung is [ʊntɐˈʃtʏt͡sʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2472, 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]. Unterstützung is at rank #979, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʊntɐˈʃtʏt͡sʊŋ].

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 2472, this pair ranks #2,002,271 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of unterstützen vs Unterstützung

Shared letters: enrstuzü. Private to "unterstützen": -. Private to "Unterstützung": g.

"unterstützen" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC  ·  "Unterstützung" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVCC

Frequency comparison

unterstützen#1,493
Unterstützung#979

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "unterstützen" and "Unterstützung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "unterstützen" is a verb and "Unterstützung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "unterstützen" or "Unterstützung"?
"Unterstützung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #979 in our German list, against #1,493 for "unterstützen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering unterstützen vs Unterstützung

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 “Unterstützung”.
  • 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