überliefertevsüberliefertenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#33,409
“überlieferte” frequency rank
#26,716
“überlieferten” frequency rank
60125
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überlieferte überlieferten
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs überliefert Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs überliefert

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überlieferte and überlieferten apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
überlieferte
13 ch
überlieferten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. überlieferte ([ˌyːbɐˈliːfɐtə]) and überlieferten ([ˌyːbɐˈliːfɐtn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “überlieferte” sits inside “überlieferten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60125, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

überlieferte is recorded at frequency rank #33,409, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈliːfɐtə]. 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 60125, this pair ranks #798,608 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of überlieferte vs überlieferten

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

"überlieferte" · 12 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVCCV  ·  "überlieferten" · 13 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

überlieferte#33,409
überlieferten#26,716

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überlieferte" and "überlieferten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈliːfɐtə] versus [ˌyːbɐˈliːfɐtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "überlieferte" or "überlieferten"?
"überlieferten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,716 in our German list, against #33,409 for "überlieferte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering überlieferte vs überlieferten

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 “überlieferte” 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