ÜberlassungvsÜberlastungWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Überlassung” and “Überlastung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#39,170
“Überlassung” frequency rank
#25,014
“Überlastung” frequency rank
64184
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Überlassung Überlastung
Definition Übergabe eines Lebewesens oder einer Sache in jemandes Obhut zu starke Beanspruchung der Leistungsfähigkeit von jemandem oder etwas

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Überlassung and Überlastung apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
Überlassung
11 ch
Überlastung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Überlassung ([ˌyːbɐˈlasʊŋ]) and Überlastung ([yːbɐˈlastʊŋ]) 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 a single letter - s in “Überlassung” becomes t in “Überlastung”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64184, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Überlassung is recorded at frequency rank #39,170, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈlasʊŋ]. Überlastung is at rank #25,014, tagged as anoun, pronounced [yːbɐˈlastʊŋ].

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 64184, this pair ranks #650,511 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Überlassung vs Überlastung

Shared letters: abeglnrsuü. Private to "Überlassung": -. Private to "Überlastung": t.

"Überlassung" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVCC  ·  "Überlastung" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVCC

Frequency comparison

Überlassung#39,170
Überlastung#25,014

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Überlassung" and "Überlastung" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈlasʊŋ] versus [yːbɐˈlastʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Überlassung" or "Überlastung"?
"Überlastung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,014 in our German list, against #39,170 for "Überlassung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Überlassung vs Überlastung

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 “Überlassung” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list