Which to use
“übergeben” and “überlesen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,416
- “übergeben” frequency rank
- #47,169
- “überlesen” frequency rank
- 50585
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übergeben | überlesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem etwas reichen, weitergeben | etwas beim Lesen nicht bemerken |
Where the eye mixes übergeben and überlesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. übergeben and überlesen 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 überlesen
A purely visual mix-up. übergeben ([yːbɐˈɡeːbn̩]) and überlesen ([ˌyːbɐˈleːzn̩]) 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 50585, 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]. überlesen is at rank #47,169, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈleːzn̩].
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 50585, this pair ranks #1,168,082 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of übergeben vs überlesen
Shared letters: benrü. Private to "übergeben": g. Private to "überlesen": ls.
"übergeben" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC · "überlesen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "übergeben" and "überlesen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "übergeben" or "überlesen" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "übergeben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "überlesen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,168,082 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übergeben" and "überlesen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überlesen vs Überresten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,168,082 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.