Which to use
“überbieten” and “übertreten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,474
- “überbieten” frequency rank
- #39,174
- “übertreten” frequency rank
- 59648
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überbieten | übertreten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Wert, eine Zahl/Größe übertreffen, ein höheres Ergebnis erzielen | mit dem Fuß jenseits einer Linie auftreten |
Where the eye mixes überbieten and übertreten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. überbieten (VCVCCVVCVC) and übertreten (VCVCCCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: überbieten vs übertreten
A purely visual mix-up. überbieten ([ˌyːbɐˈbiːtn̩]) and übertreten ([ˈyːbɐˌtʁeːtn̩]) 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 59648, 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]. übertreten is at rank #39,174, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌtʁeːtn̩].
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 59648, this pair ranks #816,613 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of überbieten vs übertreten
Shared letters: benrtü. Private to "überbieten": i. Private to "übertreten": -.
"überbieten" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVC · "übertreten" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "überbieten" and "übertreten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "überbieten" or "übertreten" 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 "übertreten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #816,613 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überbieten" and "übertreten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Überresten vs übertreten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #816,613 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.