Which to use
“überlegen” and “überlegte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,421
- “überlegen” frequency rank
- #24,223
- “überlegte” frequency rank
- 26644
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überlegen | überlegte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | deutlich besser oder stärker | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs überlegt |
Where the eye mixes überlegen and überlegte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. überlegen (VCVCCVCVC) and überlegte (VCVCCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: überlegen vs überlegte
A purely visual mix-up. überlegen ([ˌyːbɐˈleːɡn̩]) and überlegte ([ˌyːbɐˈleːktə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26644, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
überlegen is recorded at frequency rank #2,421, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈleːɡn̩]. überlegte is at rank #24,223, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈleːktə].
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 26644, this pair ranks #1,814,789 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of überlegen vs überlegte
Shared letters: beglrü. Private to "überlegen": n. Private to "überlegte": t.
"überlegen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC · "überlegte" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "überlegen" and "überlegte" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "überlegen" or "überlegte" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "überlegen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "überlegte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,814,789 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überlegen" and "überlegte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überlegst vs überlegte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,814,789 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.