Which to use
“überholt” and “überholte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,161
- “überholt” frequency rank
- #31,404
- “überholte” frequency rank
- 39565
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überholt | überholte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht den jeweiligen Bedingungen der aktuellen Zeit entsprechend, durch Änderung der Verhältnisse oder Weiterentwicklung/Zugewinn an Kenntnissen; nur in einer vergangenen Zeit gültig | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs überholt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überholt and überholte apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. überholt ([ˌyːbɐˈhoːlt]) and überholte ([ˌyːbɐˈhoːltə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “überholt” sits inside “überholte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39565, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
überholt is recorded at frequency rank #8,161, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈhoːlt]. 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 39565, this pair ranks #1,533,260 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of überholt vs überholte
Shared letters: behlortü. Private to "überholt": -. Private to "überholte": -.
"überholt" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC · "überholte" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "überholt" and "überholte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "überholt" or "überholte"?
Remembering überholt vs überholte
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 “überholt” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable