übersetzenvsübersetztConfusable pair

Quick tell: übersetzen is a verb, übersetzt is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“übersetzen” is a verb and “übersetzt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,671
“übersetzen” frequency rank
#3,349
“übersetzt” frequency rank
12020
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature übersetzen übersetzt
Definition etwas in eine andere Sprache übertragen zu stark erhöht, zu hoch (angesetzt)

Where the eye mixes übersetzen and übersetzt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. übersetzen runs 10 letters (VCVCCVCCVC) against übersetzt's 9 (VCVCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
übersetzen
9 ch
übersetzt

Why the eye confuses übersetzen with übersetzt

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: übersetzen is [ˌyːbɐˈzɛt͡sn̩] while übersetzt is [ˌyːbɐˈzɛt͡st]. 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 12020, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

übersetzen is recorded at frequency rank #8,671, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈzɛt͡sn̩]. übersetzt is at rank #3,349, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈzɛt͡st].

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 12020, this pair ranks #1,966,634 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of übersetzen vs übersetzt

Shared letters: berstzü. Private to "übersetzen": n. Private to "übersetzt": -.

"übersetzen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVC  ·  "übersetzt" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "übersetzen" for "übersetzt" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "übersetzen" is a verb and "übersetzt" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "übersetzen" vs "übersetzt" - which ranks higher?
"übersetzt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,349 in our German list, against #8,671 for "übersetzen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "übersetzen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "übersetzt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,966,634 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "übersetzen" and "übersetzt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "übersetzen vs Übersetzerin". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,966,634 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