ÜbergangvsÜbergängeTell them apart

Which to use

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

#5,053
“Übergang” frequency rank
#20,145
“Übergänge” frequency rank
25198
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Übergang Übergänge
Definition der Vorgang des Überschreitens oder Überquerens eines Hindernisses Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Übergang

Where the eye mixes Übergang and Übergänge

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Übergang runs 8 letters (VCVCCVCC) against Übergänge's 9 (VCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
Übergang
9 ch
Übergänge

Visual trap between Übergang and Übergänge

A purely visual mix-up. Übergang ([ˈyːbɐˌɡaŋ]) and Übergänge ([ˈyːbɐˌɡɛŋə]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25198, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Übergang is recorded at frequency rank #5,053, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌɡaŋ]. Übergänge is at rank #20,145, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌɡɛŋə].

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 25198, this pair ranks #1,836,724 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Übergang vs Übergänge

Shared letters: begnrü. Private to "Übergang": a. Private to "Übergänge": ä.

"Übergang" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC  ·  "Übergänge" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Übergang" for "Übergänge" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈyːbɐˌɡaŋ] versus [ˈyːbɐˌɡɛŋə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Übergang" or "Übergänge"?
"Übergang" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,053 in our German list, against #20,145 for "Übergänge". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Übergang" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Übergänge" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,836,724 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Übergang" and "Übergänge" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Übergänge vs überging". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,836,724 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list