Which to use
“übersieht” and “übersteht” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,862
- “übersieht” frequency rank
- #33,938
- “übersteht” frequency rank
- 59800
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übersieht | übersteht |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs übersehen | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs überstehen |
Where the eye mixes übersieht and übersteht
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. übersieht (VCVCCVVCC) and übersteht (VCVCCCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses übersieht with übersteht
A purely visual mix-up. übersieht ([ˌyːbɐˈziːt]) and übersteht ([ˌyːbɐˈʃteːt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - i in “übersieht” becomes t in “übersteht”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59800, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
übersieht is recorded at frequency rank #25,862, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈziːt]. übersteht is at rank #33,938, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈʃteːt].
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 59800, this pair ranks #810,881 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of übersieht vs übersteht
Shared letters: behrstü. Private to "übersieht": i. Private to "übersteht": -.
"übersieht" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVVCC · "übersteht" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "übersieht" for "übersteht" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "übersieht" or "übersteht" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "übersieht" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "übersteht" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #810,881 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übersieht" and "übersteht" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "übersteht vs überstellt". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #810,881 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.