überlesenvsüberweisenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#47,169
“überlesen” frequency rank
#13,534
“überweisen” frequency rank
60703
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überlesen überweisen
Definition etwas beim Lesen nicht bemerken einen Geldbetrag von einem Konto auf ein anderes Konto übertragen, einem anderen Konto gutschreiben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überlesen and überweisen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
überlesen
10 ch
überweisen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. überlesen ([ˌyːbɐˈleːzn̩]) and überweisen ([ˌyːbɐˈvaɪ̯zn̩]) 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 60703, 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]. überweisen is at rank #13,534, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈvaɪ̯zn̩].

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 60703, this pair ranks #777,108 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of überlesen vs überweisen

Shared letters: benrsü. Private to "überlesen": l. Private to "überweisen": iw.

"überlesen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC  ·  "überweisen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVC

Frequency comparison

überlesen#47,169
überweisen#13,534

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überlesen" and "überweisen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈleːzn̩] versus [ˌyːbɐˈvaɪ̯zn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "überlesen" or "überweisen"?
"überweisen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,534 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 überweisen

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