Which to use
“übergeben” and “übersehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,416
- “übergeben” frequency rank
- #4,582
- “übersehen” frequency rank
- 7998
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übergeben | übersehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem etwas reichen, weitergeben | etwas oder jemanden nicht wahrnehmen; versehentlich nicht beachten |
Where the eye mixes übergeben and übersehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. übergeben and übersehen 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 übersehen
A purely visual mix-up. übergeben ([yːbɐˈɡeːbn̩]) and übersehen ([yːbɐˈzeːən]) 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 7998, 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]. übersehen is at rank #4,582, tagged as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈzeːən].
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 7998, this pair ranks #1,986,021 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of übergeben vs übersehen
Shared letters: benrü. Private to "übergeben": g. Private to "übersehen": hs.
"übergeben" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC · "übersehen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "übergeben" for "übersehen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "übergeben" or "übersehen"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "übergeben" and "übersehen" 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 "übersehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,986,021 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übergeben" and "übersehen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überlesen vs übersehen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,986,021 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.