Which to use
“überraschen” is a verb and “überrascht” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,384
- “überraschen” frequency rank
- #1,954
- “überrascht” frequency rank
- 8338
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überraschen | überrascht |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden durch etwas Unerwartetes in Erstaunen setzen | durch etwas Unerwartetes in Erstaunen gesetzt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überraschen and überrascht apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: überraschen is [yːbɐˈʁaʃn̩] while überrascht is [yːbɐˈʁaʃt]. 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 8338, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
überraschen is recorded at frequency rank #6,384, classified as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈʁaʃn̩]. überrascht is at rank #1,954, tagged as anadj, pronounced [yːbɐˈʁaʃt].
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 8338, this pair ranks #1,984,683 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of überraschen vs überrascht
Shared letters: abcehrsü. Private to "überraschen": n. Private to "überrascht": t.
"überraschen" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCVCCCVC · "überrascht" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "überraschen" and "überrascht" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "überraschen" or "überrascht"?
Remembering überraschen vs überrascht
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “überraschen”; for an adjective, it's “überrascht”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “überraschen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable