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 spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überholt and überrollt apart are highlighted. They share 7 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: 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
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "überholt" and "überrollt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "überholt" or "überrollt"?
Remembering überholt vs überrollt
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “überholt”; for a verb, it's “überrollt”.
- 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