überliefertvsüberliefertenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: überliefert is a verb, überlieferten is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“überliefert” is a verb and “überlieferten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,430
“überliefert” frequency rank
#26,716
“überlieferten” frequency rank
39146
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überliefert überlieferten
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs überliefern Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs überliefert

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überliefert and überlieferten apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
überliefert
13 ch
überlieferten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: überliefert is [ˌyːbɐˈliːfɐt] while überlieferten is [ˌyːbɐˈliːfɐtn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “überliefert” sits inside “überlieferten”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39146, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

überliefert is recorded at frequency rank #12,430, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈliːfɐt]. überlieferten is at rank #26,716, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈliːfɐtn̩].

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 39146, this pair ranks #1,544,861 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of überliefert vs überlieferten

Shared letters: befilrtü. Private to "überliefert": -. Private to "überlieferten": n.

"überliefert" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVCC  ·  "überlieferten" · 13 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

überliefert#12,430
überlieferten#26,716

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überliefert" and "überlieferten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "überliefert" is a verb and "überlieferten" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "überliefert" or "überlieferten"?
"überliefert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,430 in our German list, against #26,716 for "überlieferten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering überliefert vs überlieferten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “überliefert”; for an adjective, it's “überlieferten”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “überliefert” 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