Which to use
“untersuchen” is a verb and “Untersuchung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,393
- “untersuchen” frequency rank
- #2,222
- “Untersuchung” frequency rank
- 6615
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | untersuchen | Untersuchung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas analysieren oder erforschen, sich etwas sehr genau anschauen, um es zu verstehen | die genauere Betrachtung, Beobachtung oder das Betasten zur Bestimmung eines Sachverhalts oder Objektes |
Where the eye mixes untersuchen and Untersuchung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. untersuchen runs 11 letters (VCCVCCVCCVC) against Untersuchung's 12 (VCCVCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between untersuchen and Untersuchung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: untersuchen is [ˌʊntɐˈzuːxn̩] while Untersuchung is [ʊntɐˈzuːxʊŋ]. 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 6615, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
untersuchen is recorded at frequency rank #4,393, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈzuːxn̩]. Untersuchung is at rank #2,222, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʊntɐˈzuːxʊŋ].
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 6615, this pair ranks #1,991,036 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of untersuchen vs Untersuchung
Shared letters: cehnrstu. Private to "untersuchen": -. Private to "Untersuchung": g.
"untersuchen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC · "Untersuchung" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- untersuchen ← nutersuchen · unetrsuchen · unntersuchen · unterrsuchen · unterscuhen · unterssuchen · untersucchen · untersucehn
- Untersuchung ← nutersuchung · unetrsuchung · unntersuchung · unterrsuchung · unterscuhung · unterssuchung · untersucchung · untersuchhung
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "untersuchen" for "Untersuchung" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "untersuchen" or "Untersuchung" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "untersuchen" and "Untersuchung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "untersuchen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Untersuchung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,991,036 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "untersuchen" and "Untersuchung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "untersuchen vs untertauchen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,991,036 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.