Which to use
“übergeben” and “übergehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,416
- “übergeben” frequency rank
- #16,339
- “übergehen” frequency rank
- 19755
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übergeben | übergehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem etwas reichen, weitergeben | von einem Ort, Zustand zu einem anderen wechseln |
Where the eye mixes übergeben and übergehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. übergeben and übergehen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses übergeben with übergehen
A purely visual mix-up. übergeben ([yːbɐˈɡeːbn̩]) and übergehen ([ˈyːbɐˌɡeːən]) 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 - b in “übergeben” becomes h in “übergehen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19755, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
übergeben is recorded at frequency rank #3,416, classified as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈɡeːbn̩]. übergehen is at rank #16,339, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌɡeːən].
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 19755, this pair ranks #1,904,927 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of übergeben vs übergehen
Shared letters: begnrü. Private to "übergeben": -. Private to "übergehen": h.
"übergeben" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC · "übergehen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "übergeben" and "übergehen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "übergeben" vs "übergehen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "übergeben" and "übergehen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "übergeben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "übergehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,904,927 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übergeben" and "übergehen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "übergehen vs überlesen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,904,927 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.