Which to use
“überleben” and “überlesen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,632
- “überleben” frequency rank
- #47,169
- “überlesen” frequency rank
- 50801
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überleben | überlesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in einer gefährlichen Situation am Leben bleiben | etwas beim Lesen nicht bemerken |
Where the eye mixes überleben and überlesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: überleben vs überlesen
A purely visual mix-up. überleben ([ˌyːbɐˈleːbn̩]) 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 differ by a single letter - b in “überleben” becomes s in “überlesen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50801, 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]. 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 50801, this pair ranks #1,159,919 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of überleben vs überlesen
Shared letters: belnrü. Private to "überleben": -. Private to "überlesen": s.
"überleben" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC · "überlesen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "überleben" for "überlesen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "überleben" or "überlesen" 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 "überleben" 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 #1,159,919 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überleben" and "überlesen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überlesen vs Überresten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,159,919 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.