überlegtvsüberragtConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#3,633
“überlegt” frequency rank
#30,891
“überragt” frequency rank
34524
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überlegt überragt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs überlegen Partizip Perfekt des untrennbaren und des trennbaren Verbs überragen

Where the eye mixes überlegt and überragt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. überlegt and überragt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

8 ch
überlegt
8 ch
überragt

Visual trap between überlegt and überragt

A purely visual mix-up. überlegt ([ˌyːbɐˈleːkt]) and überragt ([ˌyːbɐˈʁaːkt]) 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 34524, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

überlegt is recorded at frequency rank #3,633, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈleːkt]. überragt is at rank #30,891, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈʁaːkt].

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 34524, this pair ranks #1,661,365 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of überlegt vs überragt

Shared letters: begrtü. Private to "überlegt": l. Private to "überragt": a.

"überlegt" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC  ·  "überragt" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überlegt" and "überragt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈleːkt] versus [ˌyːbɐˈʁaːkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "überlegt" vs "überragt" - which ranks higher?
"überlegt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,633 in our German list, against #30,891 for "überragt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "überlegt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "überragt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,661,365 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "überlegt" and "überragt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überragt vs übersät". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,661,365 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list