überlegvsüberlegtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,068
“überleg” frequency rank
#3,633
“überlegt” frequency rank
19701
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überleg überlegt
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs überlegen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs überlegen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überleg and überlegt apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
überleg
8 ch
überlegt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. überleg ([ˌyːbɐˈleːk]) and überlegt ([ˌyːbɐˈleːkt]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “überleg” sits inside “überlegt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19701, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

überleg is recorded at frequency rank #16,068, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈleːk]. überlegt is at rank #3,633, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈleːkt].

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 19701, this pair ranks #1,905,546 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of überleg vs überlegt

Shared letters: beglrü. Private to "überleg": -. Private to "überlegt": t.

"überleg" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC  ·  "überlegt" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC

Frequency comparison

überleg#16,068
überlegt#3,633

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überleg" and "überlegt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈleːk] versus [ˌyːbɐˈleːkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "überleg" or "überlegt"?
"überlegt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,633 in our German list, against #16,068 for "überleg". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering überleg vs überlegt

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 “überleg” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list