Which to use
“Überfall” is a noun and “überfallen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,016
- “Überfall” frequency rank
- #7,706
- “überfallen” frequency rank
- 15722
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Überfall | überfallen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plötzlicher und unerwarteter Angriff, bei dem der Täter unter Verdeckung seiner wahren Absichten (tückisch-verschlagen) vorgeht | überraschend angreifen |
Where the eye mixes Überfall and überfallen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Überfall runs 8 letters (VCVCCVCC) against überfallen's 10 (VCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Überfall with überfallen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Überfall is [ˈyːbɐˌfal] while überfallen is [ˌyːbɐˈfalən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Überfall” sits inside “überfallen”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15722, 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]. überfallen is at rank #7,706, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈfalən].
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 15722, this pair ranks #1,941,659 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Überfall vs überfallen
Shared letters: abeflrü. Private to "Überfall": -. Private to "überfallen": n.
"Überfall" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC · "überfallen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Überfall" for "überfallen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Überfall" vs "überfallen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Überfall" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "überfallen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,941,659 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Überfall" and "überfallen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überfallen vs überfielen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,941,659 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.