Which to use
“übersetzen” is a verb and “übersetzte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,671
- “übersetzen” frequency rank
- #24,591
- “übersetzte” frequency rank
- 33262
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übersetzen | übersetzte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas in eine andere Sprache übertragen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs übersetzt |
Where the eye mixes übersetzen and übersetzte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. übersetzen (VCVCCVCCVC) and übersetzte (VCVCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: übersetzen vs übersetzte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: übersetzen is [ˌyːbɐˈzɛt͡sn̩] while übersetzte is [ˌyːbɐˈzɛt͡stə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33262, 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]. übersetzte is at rank #24,591, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈzɛt͡stə].
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 33262, this pair ranks #1,689,806 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of übersetzen vs übersetzte
Shared letters: berstzü. Private to "übersetzen": n. Private to "übersetzte": -.
"übersetzen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCVC · "übersetzte" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "übersetzen" for "übersetzte" ever safe?
Frequency check: "übersetzen" vs "übersetzte" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "übersetzen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "übersetzte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,689,806 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übersetzen" and "übersetzte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "übersetzte vs übersetzten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,689,806 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.