Which to use
“überholen” is a verb and “überholte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,645
- “überholen” frequency rank
- #31,404
- “überholte” frequency rank
- 44049
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überholen | überholte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit größerer Geschwindigkeit an jemandem oder etwas vorbeiziehen, das sich in die gleiche Richtung bewegt (auch im übertragenen Sinne) | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs überholt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überholen and überholte apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: überholen is [ˌyːbɐˈhoːlən] while überholte is [ˌyːbɐˈhoːltə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44049, 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]. überholte is at rank #31,404, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈhoːltə].
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 44049, this pair ranks #1,398,678 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of überholen vs überholte
Shared letters: behlorü. Private to "überholen": n. Private to "überholte": t.
"überholen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC · "überholte" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "überholen" and "überholte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "überholen" or "überholte"?
Remembering überholen vs überholte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “überholen”; for an adjective, it's “überholte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “überholen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable