Which to use
“unterwerfen” is a verb and “Unterwerfung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,736
- “unterwerfen” frequency rank
- #21,458
- “Unterwerfung” frequency rank
- 40194
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unterwerfen | Unterwerfung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | fremde Gebiete, Völker mit Gewalt sich eigen machen | die Handlung, sich jemandem zu ergeben; Akzeptanz einer (Zwangs-)Herrschaft oder Macht |
Where the eye mixes unterwerfen and Unterwerfung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. unterwerfen runs 11 letters (VCCVCCVCCVC) against Unterwerfung's 12 (VCCVCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: unterwerfen vs Unterwerfung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: unterwerfen is [ˌʊntɐˈvɛʁfn̩] while Unterwerfung is [ˌʊntɐˈvɛʁfʊŋ]. 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 40194, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unterwerfen is recorded at frequency rank #18,736, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈvɛʁfn̩]. Unterwerfung is at rank #21,458, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˌʊntɐˈvɛʁfʊŋ].
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 40194, this pair ranks #1,515,461 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of unterwerfen vs Unterwerfung
Shared letters: efnrtuw. Private to "unterwerfen": -. Private to "Unterwerfung": g.
"unterwerfen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC · "Unterwerfung" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unterwerfen ← nuterwerfen · unetrwerfen · unnterwerfen · unterewrfen · unterrwerfen · unterwefren · unterwerefn · unterwerfenn
- Unterwerfung ← nuterwerfung · unetrwerfung · unnterwerfung · unterewrfung · unterrwerfung · unterwefrung · unterwerffung · unterwerfnug
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unterwerfen" and "Unterwerfung" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "unterwerfen" or "Unterwerfung" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "unterwerfen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Unterwerfung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,515,461 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unterwerfen" and "Unterwerfung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Unterweisung vs Unterwerfung". 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 #1,515,461 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.