überprüfenvsüberprüftWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,634
“überprüfen” frequency rank
#4,581
“überprüft” frequency rank
8215
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überprüfen überprüft
Definition (erstmals oder nochmals) kontrollieren, wiederholt nachschauen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs überprüfen

Where the spellings diverge

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

10 ch
überprüfen
9 ch
überprüft

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. überprüfen ([yːbɐˈpʁyːfn̩]) and überprüft ([yːbɐˈpʁyːft]) 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 8215, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

überprüfen is recorded at frequency rank #3,634, classified as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈpʁyːfn̩]. überprüft is at rank #4,581, tagged as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈpʁyːft].

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 8215, this pair ranks #1,985,175 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of überprüfen vs überprüft

Shared letters: befprü. Private to "überprüfen": n. Private to "überprüft": t.

"überprüfen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCCVCVC  ·  "überprüft" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCCVCC

Frequency comparison

überprüfen#3,634
überprüft#4,581

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überprüfen" and "überprüft" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([yːbɐˈpʁyːfn̩] versus [yːbɐˈpʁyːft]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "überprüfen" or "überprüft"?
"überprüfen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,634 in our German list, against #4,581 for "überprüft". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering überprüfen vs überprüft

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 “überprüfen” 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