Which to use
“überbieten” and “überfielen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,474
- “überbieten” frequency rank
- #46,433
- “überfielen” frequency rank
- 66907
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überbieten | überfielen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Wert, eine Zahl/Größe übertreffen, ein höheres Ergebnis erzielen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs überfallen |
Where the eye mixes überbieten and überfielen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. überbieten and überfielen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCCVVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between überbieten and überfielen
A purely visual mix-up. überbieten ([ˌyːbɐˈbiːtn̩]) and überfielen ([ˌyːbɐˈfiːlən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66907, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
überbieten is recorded at frequency rank #20,474, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈbiːtn̩]. überfielen is at rank #46,433, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈfiːlən].
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 66907, this pair ranks #557,617 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of überbieten vs überfielen
Shared letters: beinrü. Private to "überbieten": t. Private to "überfielen": fl.
"überbieten" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVC · "überfielen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "überbieten" for "überfielen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "überbieten" or "überfielen" 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 "überbieten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "überfielen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #557,617 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überbieten" and "überfielen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überfielen vs überfliegen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #557,617 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.