überflüssigvsüberflüssigeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,558
“überflüssig” frequency rank
#27,588
“überflüssige” frequency rank
35146
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überflüssig überflüssige
Definition nicht nötig, über das notwendige Maß hinaus Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs überflüssig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überflüssig and überflüssige apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
überflüssig
12 ch
überflüssige

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. überflüssig ([ˈyːbɐˌflʏsɪç]) and überflüssige ([ˈyːbɐˌflʏsɪɡə]) 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) - “überflüssig” sits inside “überflüssige”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35146, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

überflüssig is recorded at frequency rank #7,558, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌflʏsɪç]. überflüssige is at rank #27,588, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌflʏsɪɡə].

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 35146, this pair ranks #1,646,972 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of überflüssig vs überflüssige

Shared letters: befgilrsü. Private to "überflüssig": -. Private to "überflüssige": -.

"überflüssig" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCCVCCVC  ·  "überflüssige" · 12 letters · shape VCVCCCVCCVCV

Frequency comparison

überflüssig#7,558
überflüssige#27,588

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überflüssig" and "überflüssige" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈyːbɐˌflʏsɪç] versus [ˈyːbɐˌflʏsɪɡə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "überflüssig" or "überflüssige"?
"überflüssig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,558 in our German list, against #27,588 for "überflüssige". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering überflüssig vs überflüssige

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “überflüssig” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list