überlegtvsüberzeugtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,633
“überlegt” frequency rank
#1,798
“überzeugt” frequency rank
5431
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überlegt überzeugt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs überlegen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs überzeugen

Where the eye mixes überlegt and überzeugt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. überlegt runs 8 letters (VCVCCVCC) against überzeugt's 9 (VCVCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
überlegt
9 ch
überzeugt

Why the eye confuses überlegt with überzeugt

A purely visual mix-up. überlegt ([ˌyːbɐˈleːkt]) and überzeugt ([yːbɐˈt͡sɔɪ̯kt]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5431, 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]. überzeugt is at rank #1,798, tagged as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈt͡sɔɪ̯kt].

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 5431, this pair ranks #1,994,770 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of überlegt vs überzeugt

Shared letters: begrtü. Private to "überlegt": l. Private to "überzeugt": uz.

"überlegt" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCC  ·  "überzeugt" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "überlegt" for "überzeugt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈleːkt] versus [yːbɐˈt͡sɔɪ̯kt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "überlegt" or "überzeugt"?
"überzeugt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,798 in our German list, against #3,633 for "überlegt". 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 "überzeugt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,994,770 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "überlegt" and "überzeugt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überlegst vs überlegt". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,994,770 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