überschriebenvsüberschrittenTell them apart

Which to use

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

#25,015
“überschrieben” frequency rank
#6,262
“überschritten” frequency rank
31277
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überschrieben überschritten
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs überschreiben 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs überschreiten

Where the eye mixes überschrieben and überschritten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. überschrieben (VCVCCCCCVVCVC) and überschritten (VCVCCCCCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

13 ch
überschrieben
13 ch
überschritten

Look-alike desk: überschrieben vs überschritten

A purely visual mix-up. überschrieben ([ˌyːbɐˈʃʁiːbn̩]) 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 31277, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

überschrieben is recorded at frequency rank #25,015, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈʃʁiːbn̩]. 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 31277, this pair ranks #1,731,372 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of überschrieben vs überschritten

Shared letters: bcehinrsü. Private to "überschrieben": -. Private to "überschritten": t.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überschrieben" and "überschritten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈʃʁiːbn̩] versus [ˌyːbɐˈʃʁɪtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "überschrieben" or "überschritten"?
"überschritten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,262 in our German list, against #25,015 for "überschrieben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "überschrieben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "überschritten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,731,372 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "überschrieben" and "überschritten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überschreiben vs überschrieben". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,731,372 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list