Which to use
“übergab” and “übersah” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,798
- “übergab” frequency rank
- #40,989
- “übersah” frequency rank
- 52787
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übergab | übersah |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs übergeben | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs übersehen |
Where the eye mixes übergab and übersah
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. übergab and übersah follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses übergab with übersah
A purely visual mix-up. übergab ([ˌyːbɐˈɡaːp]) and übersah ([ˌyːbɐˈzaː]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52787, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
übergab is recorded at frequency rank #11,798, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈɡaːp]. übersah is at rank #40,989, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈzaː].
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 52787, this pair ranks #1,083,270 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of übergab vs übersah
Shared letters: aberü. Private to "übergab": g. Private to "übersah": hs.
"übergab" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC · "übersah" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "übergab" for "übersah" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "übergab" or "übersah" show up more?
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 "übergab" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "übersah" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,083,270 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übergab" and "übersah" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überbau vs übersah". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,083,270 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.