Which to use
“überladen” and “überlesen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,888
- “überladen” frequency rank
- #47,169
- “überlesen” frequency rank
- 80057
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überladen | überlesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas übermäßig mit Fracht versehen | etwas beim Lesen nicht bemerken |
Where the eye mixes überladen and überlesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. überladen and überlesen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: überladen vs überlesen
A purely visual mix-up. überladen ([yːbɐˈlaːdn̩]) and überlesen ([ˌyːbɐˈleːzn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80057, 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]. überlesen is at rank #47,169, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈleːzn̩].
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 80057, this pair ranks #203,389 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of überladen vs überlesen
Shared letters: belnrü. Private to "überladen": ad. Private to "überlesen": s.
"überladen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC · "überlesen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "überladen" for "überlesen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "überladen" vs "überlesen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "überladen" and "überlesen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "überladen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "überlesen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #203,389 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überladen" and "überlesen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überlesen vs Überresten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #203,389 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.