Which to use
“überholen” is a verb and “überholt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,645
- “überholen” frequency rank
- #8,161
- “überholt” frequency rank
- 20806
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überholen | überholt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit größerer Geschwindigkeit an jemandem oder etwas vorbeiziehen, das sich in die gleiche Richtung bewegt (auch im übertragenen Sinne) | nicht den jeweiligen Bedingungen der aktuellen Zeit entsprechend, durch Änderung der Verhältnisse oder Weiterentwicklung/Zugewinn an Kenntnissen; nur in einer vergangenen Zeit gültig |
Where the eye mixes überholen and überholt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. überholen runs 9 letters (VCVCCVCVC) against überholt's 8 (VCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses überholen with überholt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: überholen is [ˌyːbɐˈhoːlən] while überholt is [ˌyːbɐˈhoːlt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20806, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
überholen is recorded at frequency rank #12,645, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈhoːlən]. überholt is at rank #8,161, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈhoːlt].
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 20806, this pair ranks #1,893,536 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of überholen vs überholt
Shared letters: behlorü. Private to "überholen": n. Private to "überholt": t.
"überholen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC · "überholt" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "überholen" for "überholt" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "überholen" or "überholt" 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 "überholen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "überholt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,893,536 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überholen" and "überholt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überhöhten vs überholen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,893,536 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.