Which to use
“Überfall” is a noun and “überfällig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,016
- “Überfall” frequency rank
- #18,138
- “überfällig” frequency rank
- 26154
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Überfall | überfällig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plötzlicher und unerwarteter Angriff, bei dem der Täter unter Verdeckung seiner wahren Absichten (tückisch-verschlagen) vorgeht | so, dass es schon an der Zeit gewesen wäre |
Where the eye mixes Überfall and überfällig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Überfall runs 8 letters (VCVCCVCC) against überfällig'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 überfällig
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Überfall is [ˈyːbɐˌfal] while überfällig is [ˈyːbɐˌfɛlɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26154, 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]. überfällig is at rank #18,138, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌfɛlɪç].
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 26154, this pair ranks #1,822,342 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Überfall vs überfällig
Shared letters: beflrü. Private to "Überfall": a. Private to "überfällig": giä.
"Überfall" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC · "überfällig" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Überfall" for "überfällig" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Überfall" vs "überfällig" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "überfällig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,822,342 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Überfall" and "überfällig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überfällig vs Überfalls". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,822,342 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.