überbietenvsüberwiegenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“überbieten” and “überwiegen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#20,474
“überbieten” frequency rank
#16,069
“überwiegen” frequency rank
36543
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überbieten überwiegen
Definition einen Wert, eine Zahl/Größe übertreffen, ein höheres Ergebnis erzielen die Mehrheit haben, sich deshalb durchsetzen und die Oberhand gewinnen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überbieten and überwiegen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
überbieten
10 ch
überwiegen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. überbieten ([ˌyːbɐˈbiːtn̩]) and überwiegen ([ˌyːbɐˈviːɡn̩]) 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 36543, 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]. überwiegen is at rank #16,069, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈviːɡn̩].

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 36543, this pair ranks #1,612,945 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of überbieten vs überwiegen

Shared letters: beinrü. Private to "überbieten": t. Private to "überwiegen": gw.

"überbieten" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVC  ·  "überwiegen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVC

Frequency comparison

überbieten#20,474
überwiegen#16,069

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überbieten" and "überwiegen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈbiːtn̩] versus [ˌyːbɐˈviːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "überbieten" or "überwiegen"?
"überwiegen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,069 in our German list, against #20,474 for "überbieten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering überbieten vs überwiegen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “überbieten” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list