Which to use
“überleben” is a verb and “überlebten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,632
- “überleben” frequency rank
- #27,590
- “überlebten” frequency rank
- 31222
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überleben | überlebten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in einer gefährlichen Situation am Leben bleiben | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs überlebt |
Where the eye mixes überleben and überlebten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. überleben runs 9 letters (VCVCCVCVC) against überlebten's 10 (VCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between überleben and überlebten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: überleben is [ˌyːbɐˈleːbn̩] while überlebten is [ˌyːbɐˈleːptn̩]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31222, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
überleben is recorded at frequency rank #3,632, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈleːbn̩]. überlebten is at rank #27,590, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈleːptn̩].
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 31222, this pair ranks #1,732,413 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of überleben vs überlebten
Shared letters: belnrü. Private to "überleben": -. Private to "überlebten": t.
"überleben" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC · "überlebten" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "überleben" and "überlebten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "überleben" or "überlebten"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "überleben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "überlebten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,732,413 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überleben" and "überlebten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überlebten vs überlesen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,732,413 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.