übergebenvsüberlesenWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set übergeben and überlesen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
übergeben
9 ch
überlesen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

übergeben#3,416
überlesen#47,169

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "übergeben" and "überlesen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([yːbɐˈɡeːbn̩] versus [ˌyːbɐˈleːzn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "übergeben" or "überlesen"?
"übergeben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,416 in our German list, against #47,169 for "überlesen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering übergeben vs überlesen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “übergeben” 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