überlesenvsÜberrestenConfusable pair

Quick tell: überlesen is a verb, Überresten is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“überlesen” is a verb and “Überresten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#47,169
“überlesen” frequency rank
#40,988
“Überresten” frequency rank
88157
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überlesen Überresten
Definition etwas beim Lesen nicht bemerken Dativ Plural des Substantivs Überrest

Where the eye mixes überlesen and Überresten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. überlesen runs 9 letters (VCVCCVCVC) against Überresten's 10 (VCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
überlesen
10 ch
Überresten

Why the eye confuses überlesen with Überresten

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: überlesen is [ˌyːbɐˈleːzn̩] while Überresten is [ˈyːbɐˌʁɛstn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 88157, 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]. Überresten is at rank #40,988, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌʁɛstn̩].

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 88157, this pair ranks #71,614 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of überlesen vs Überresten

Shared letters: benrsü. Private to "überlesen": l. Private to "Überresten": t.

"überlesen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC  ·  "Überresten" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "überlesen" and "Überresten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "überlesen" is a verb and "Überresten" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "überlesen" vs "Überresten" - which ranks higher?
"Überresten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,988 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.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "überlesen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Überresten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #71,614 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "überlesen" and "Überresten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Überresten vs übertreten". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #71,614 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