Which to use
“überprüfe” is a verb and “überprüfte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #45,728
- “überprüfe” frequency rank
- #42,303
- “überprüfte” frequency rank
- 88031
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überprüfe | überprüfte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs überprüfen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs überprüft |
Where the eye mixes überprüfe and überprüfte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. überprüfe runs 9 letters (VCVCCCVCV) against überprüfte's 10 (VCVCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses überprüfe with überprüfte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: überprüfe is [yːbɐˈpʁyːfə] while überprüfte is [yːbɐˈpʁyːftə]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 88031, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
überprüfe is recorded at frequency rank #45,728, classified as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈpʁyːfə]. überprüfte is at rank #42,303, tagged as anadj, pronounced [yːbɐˈpʁyːftə].
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 88031, this pair ranks #73,142 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of überprüfe vs überprüfte
Shared letters: befprü. Private to "überprüfe": -. Private to "überprüfte": t.
"überprüfe" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCCVCV · "überprüfte" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "überprüfe" for "überprüfte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "überprüfe" or "überprüfte"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "überprüfe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "überprüfte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #73,142 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überprüfe" and "überprüfte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überprüfe vs überprüft". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #73,142 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.