Which to use
“überholt” is an adjective and “überrollt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,161
- “überholt” frequency rank
- #27,156
- “überrollt” frequency rank
- 35317
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überholt | überrollt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht den jeweiligen Bedingungen der aktuellen Zeit entsprechend, durch Änderung der Verhältnisse oder Weiterentwicklung/Zugewinn an Kenntnissen; nur in einer vergangenen Zeit gültig | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs überrollen |
Where the eye mixes überholt and überrollt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. überholt runs 8 letters (VCVCCVCC) against überrollt's 9 (VCVCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: überholt vs überrollt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: überholt is [ˌyːbɐˈhoːlt] while überrollt is [yːbɐˈʁɔlt]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35317, 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]. überrollt is at rank #27,156, tagged as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈʁɔlt].
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 35317, this pair ranks #1,642,854 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of überholt vs überrollt
Shared letters: belortü. Private to "überholt": h. Private to "überrollt": -.
"überholt" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC · "überrollt" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "überholt" for "überrollt" ever safe?
Frequency check: "überholt" vs "überrollt" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "überholt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "überrollt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,642,854 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überholt" and "überrollt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überhöht vs überholt". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,642,854 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.