Which to use
“überschreiben” and “überschrieben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,729
- “überschreiben” frequency rank
- #25,015
- “überschrieben” frequency rank
- 70744
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | überschreiben | überschrieben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas mit einer Überschrift versehen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs überschreiben |
Where the eye mixes überschreiben and überschrieben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. überschreiben and überschrieben follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCCCCCVVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: überschreiben vs überschrieben
A purely visual mix-up. überschreiben ([ˌyːbɐˈʃʁaɪ̯bn̩]) and überschrieben ([ˌyːbɐˈʃʁiːbn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ only by swapping two adjacent letters (ei ↔ ie) - a transposition the eye reads straight past. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70744, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
überschreiben is recorded at frequency rank #45,729, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈʃʁaɪ̯bn̩]. überschrieben is at rank #25,015, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈʃʁiːbn̩].
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 70744, this pair ranks #437,108 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of überschreiben vs überschrieben
Shared letters: bcehinrsü. Private to "überschreiben": -. Private to "überschrieben": -.
"überschreiben" · 13 letters · shape VCVCCCCCVVCVC · "überschrieben" · 13 letters · shape VCVCCCCCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "überschreiben" and "überschrieben" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "überschreiben" or "überschrieben"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "überschreiben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "überschrieben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #437,108 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "überschreiben" and "überschrieben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überschneiden vs überschreiben". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #437,108 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.