überlesenvsüberredenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#47,169
“überlesen” frequency rank
#14,478
“überreden” frequency rank
61647
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überlesen überreden
Definition etwas beim Lesen nicht bemerken jemanden durch Zureden dazu bringen, etwas zu tun, was ursprünglich nicht in seiner oder ihrer Absicht lag

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
überlesen
9 ch
überreden

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. überlesen ([ˌyːbɐˈleːzn̩]) and überreden ([yːbɐˈʁeːdn̩]) 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 61647, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

überlesen is recorded at frequency rank #47,169, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈleːzn̩]. überreden is at rank #14,478, tagged as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈʁeːdn̩].

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 61647, this pair ranks #741,883 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of überlesen vs überreden

Shared letters: benrü. Private to "überlesen": ls. Private to "überreden": d.

"überlesen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC  ·  "überreden" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

überlesen#47,169
überreden#14,478

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überlesen" and "überreden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈleːzn̩] versus [yːbɐˈʁeːdn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "überlesen" or "überreden"?
"überreden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,478 in our German list, against #47,169 for "überlesen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering überlesen vs überreden

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 “überlesen” 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