ÜberfallvsÜberfälleConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#8,016
“Überfall” frequency rank
#28,967
“Überfälle” frequency rank
36983
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Überfall Überfälle
Definition plötzlicher und unerwarteter Angriff, bei dem der Täter unter Verdeckung seiner wahren Absichten (tückisch-verschlagen) vorgeht Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Überfall

Where the eye mixes Überfall and Überfälle

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Überfall runs 8 letters (VCVCCVCC) against Überfälle's 9 (VCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
Überfall
9 ch
Überfälle

Look-alike desk: Überfall vs Überfälle

A purely visual mix-up. Überfall ([ˈyːbɐˌfal]) and Überfälle ([ˈyːbɐˌfɛlə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36983, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Überfall is recorded at frequency rank #8,016, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌfal]. Überfälle is at rank #28,967, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌfɛlə].

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 36983, this pair ranks #1,601,766 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Überfall vs Überfälle

Shared letters: beflrü. Private to "Überfall": a. Private to "Überfälle": ä.

"Überfall" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC  ·  "Überfälle" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Überfall" for "Überfälle" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈyːbɐˌfal] versus [ˈyːbɐˌfɛlə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Überfall" or "Überfälle"?
"Überfall" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,016 in our German list, against #28,967 for "Überfälle". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Überfall" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Überfälle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,601,766 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Überfall" and "Überfälle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Überfälle vs überfüllte". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,601,766 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list