überschreitenvsüberschrittenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,492
“überschreiten” frequency rank
#6,262
“überschritten” frequency rank
15754
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überschreiten überschritten
Definition über etwas hinweggehen, etwas überqueren, etwas passieren 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs überschreiten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überschreiten and überschritten apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

13 ch
überschreiten
13 ch
überschritten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. überschreiten ([ˌyːbɐˈʃʁaɪ̯tn̩]) and überschritten ([ˌyːbɐˈʃʁɪtn̩]) 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 15754, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

überschreiten is recorded at frequency rank #9,492, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈʃʁaɪ̯tn̩]. überschritten is at rank #6,262, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈʃʁɪtn̩].

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 15754, this pair ranks #1,941,403 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of überschreiten vs überschritten

Shared letters: bcehinrstü. Private to "überschreiten": -. Private to "überschritten": -.

"überschreiten" · 13 letters · shape VCVCCCCCVVCVC  ·  "überschritten" · 13 letters · shape VCVCCCCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

überschreiten#9,492
überschritten#6,262

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überschreiten" and "überschritten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈʃʁaɪ̯tn̩] versus [ˌyːbɐˈʃʁɪtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "überschreiten" or "überschritten"?
"überschritten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,262 in our German list, against #9,492 for "überschreiten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering überschreiten vs überschritten

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 “überschreiten” 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