Which to use
“überladen” and “überlassen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,888
- “überladen” frequency rank
- #3,417
- “überlassen” frequency rank
- 36305
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überladen | überlassen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas übermäßig mit Fracht versehen | jemandem ein Lebewesen oder eine Sache anvertrauen |
Where the eye mixes überladen and überlassen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. überladen runs 9 letters (VCVCCVCVC) against überlassen's 10 (VCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses überladen with überlassen
A purely visual mix-up. überladen ([yːbɐˈlaːdn̩]) and überlassen ([ˌyːbɐˈlasn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36305, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
überladen is recorded at frequency rank #32,888, classified as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈlaːdn̩]. überlassen is at rank #3,417, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈlasn̩].
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 36305, this pair ranks #1,618,927 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of überladen vs überlassen
Shared letters: abelnrü. Private to "überladen": d. Private to "überlassen": s.
"überladen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC · "überlassen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "überladen" for "überlassen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "überladen" or "überlassen" 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 "überladen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "überlassen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,618,927 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überladen" and "überlassen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überladen vs überlesen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,618,927 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.