Which to use
“überfordern” and “überfordert” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,890
- “überfordern” frequency rank
- #7,431
- “überfordert” frequency rank
- 37321
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überfordern | überfordert |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mehr von jemandem verlangen, als er leisten kann | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs überfordern |
Where the eye mixes überfordern and überfordert
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. überfordern and überfordert follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses überfordern with überfordert
A purely visual mix-up. überfordern ([yːbɐˈfɔʁdɐn]) and überfordert ([yːbɐˈfɔʁdɐt]) 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 a single letter - n in “überfordern” becomes t in “überfordert”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37321, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
überfordern is recorded at frequency rank #29,890, classified as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈfɔʁdɐn]. überfordert is at rank #7,431, tagged as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈfɔʁdɐt].
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 37321, this pair ranks #1,593,254 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of überfordern vs überfordert
Shared letters: bdeforü. Private to "überfordern": n. Private to "überfordert": t.
"überfordern" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVCC · "überfordert" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "überfordern" for "überfordert" ever safe?
Which is more common, "überfordern" or "überfordert"?
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 "überfordern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "überfordert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,593,254 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überfordern" and "überfordert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überfordern vs überforderte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,593,254 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.