ÜberfallvsÜberfallsConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#8,016
“Überfall” frequency rank
#44,402
“Überfalls” frequency rank
52418
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the eye mixes Überfall and Überfalls

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

8 ch
Überfall
9 ch
Überfalls

Look-alike desk: Überfall vs Überfalls

A purely visual mix-up. Überfall ([ˈyːbɐˌfal]) and Überfalls ([ˈyːbɐˌfals]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Überfall” sits inside “Überfalls”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52418, 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]. Überfalls is at rank #44,402, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌfals].

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 52418, this pair ranks #1,097,779 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Überfall vs Überfalls

Shared letters: abeflrü. Private to "Überfall": -. Private to "Überfalls": s.

"Überfall" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC  ·  "Überfalls" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Überfall" for "Überfalls" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈyːbɐˌfal] versus [ˈyːbɐˌfals]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Überfall" vs "Überfalls" - which ranks higher?
"Überfall" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,016 in our German list, against #44,402 for "Überfalls". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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 "Überfalls" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,097,779 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Überfall" and "Überfalls" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Überfälle vs Überfalls". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,097,779 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