Which to use
“überlebten” is an adjective and “überlesen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,590
- “überlebten” frequency rank
- #47,169
- “überlesen” frequency rank
- 74759
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überlebten | überlesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs überlebt | etwas beim Lesen nicht bemerken |
Where the eye mixes überlebten and überlesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. überlebten runs 10 letters (VCVCCVCCVC) against überlesen's 9 (VCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses überlebten with überlesen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: überlebten is [ˌyːbɐˈleːptn̩] while überlesen is [ˌyːbɐˈleːzn̩]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74759, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
überlebten is recorded at frequency rank #27,590, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈleːptn̩]. 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 74759, this pair ranks #325,101 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of überlebten vs überlesen
Shared letters: belnrü. Private to "überlebten": t. Private to "überlesen": s.
"überlebten" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVC · "überlesen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "überlebten" and "überlesen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "überlebten" or "überlesen"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "überlebten" 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 #325,101 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überlebten" and "überlesen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überlesen vs Überresten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #325,101 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.