Which to use
“überfiel” and “überfielen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #39,168
- “überfiel” frequency rank
- #46,433
- “überfielen” frequency rank
- 85601
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überfiel | überfielen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs überfallen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs überfallen |
Where the eye mixes überfiel and überfielen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. überfiel runs 8 letters (VCVCCVVC) against überfielen's 10 (VCVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses überfiel with überfielen
A purely visual mix-up. überfiel ([ˌyːbɐˈfiːl]) and überfielen ([ˌyːbɐˈfiːlən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “überfiel” sits inside “überfielen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 85601, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
überfiel is recorded at frequency rank #39,168, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈfiːl]. überfielen is at rank #46,433, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈfiːlən].
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 85601, this pair ranks #105,898 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of überfiel vs überfielen
Shared letters: befilrü. Private to "überfiel": -. Private to "überfielen": n.
"überfiel" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVVC · "überfielen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "überfiel" and "überfielen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "überfiel" vs "überfielen" - 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 "überfiel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "überfielen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #105,898 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überfiel" and "überfielen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überfielen vs überfliegen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #105,898 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.