überführenvsÜberführungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: überführen is a verb, Überführung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“überführen” is a verb and “Überführung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#21,499
“überführen” frequency rank
#22,590
“Überführung” frequency rank
44089
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überführen Überführung
Definition einem Täter eine Tat nachweisen (auch übertragen, ironisch) Handlung, jemand oder etwas an einen anderen Ort zu bringen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überführen and Überführung apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
überführen
11 ch
Überführung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: überführen is [ˌyːbɐˈfyːʁən] while Überführung is [yːbɐˈfyːʁʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44089, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

überführen is recorded at frequency rank #21,499, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈfyːʁən]. Überführung is at rank #22,590, tagged as anoun, pronounced [yːbɐˈfyːʁʊŋ].

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 44089, this pair ranks #1,397,392 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of überführen vs Überführung

Shared letters: befhnrü. Private to "überführen": -. Private to "Überführung": gu.

"überführen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVC  ·  "Überführung" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVCC

Frequency comparison

überführen#21,499
Überführung#22,590

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überführen" and "Überführung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "überführen" is a verb and "Überführung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "überführen" or "Überführung"?
"überführen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,499 in our German list, against #22,590 for "Überführung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering überführen vs Überführung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “überführen”; for a noun, it's “Überführung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “überführen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list