überredenvsübersehenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#14,478
“überreden” frequency rank
#4,582
“übersehen” frequency rank
19060
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überreden übersehen
Definition jemanden durch Zureden dazu bringen, etwas zu tun, was ursprünglich nicht in seiner oder ihrer Absicht lag etwas oder jemanden nicht wahrnehmen; versehentlich nicht beachten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überreden and übersehen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
überreden
9 ch
übersehen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. überreden ([yːbɐˈʁeːdn̩]) and übersehen ([yːbɐˈzeːən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19060, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

überreden is recorded at frequency rank #14,478, classified as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈʁeːdn̩]. übersehen is at rank #4,582, tagged as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈzeːən].

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 19060, this pair ranks #1,912,222 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of überreden vs übersehen

Shared letters: benrü. Private to "überreden": d. Private to "übersehen": hs.

"überreden" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC  ·  "übersehen" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

überreden#14,478
übersehen#4,582

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überreden" and "übersehen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([yːbɐˈʁeːdn̩] versus [yːbɐˈzeːən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "überreden" or "übersehen"?
"übersehen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,582 in our German list, against #14,478 for "überreden". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering überreden vs übersehen

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 “überreden” 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