überstehtvsübersteigtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#33,938
“übersteht” frequency rank
#14,727
“übersteigt” frequency rank
48665
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature übersteht übersteigt
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs überstehen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs übersteigen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set übersteht and übersteigt apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
übersteht
10 ch
übersteigt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. übersteht ([ˌyːbɐˈʃteːt]) and übersteigt ([ˌyːbɐˈʃtaɪ̯kt]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48665, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

übersteht is recorded at frequency rank #33,938, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈʃteːt]. übersteigt is at rank #14,727, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈʃtaɪ̯kt].

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 48665, this pair ranks #1,240,159 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of übersteht vs übersteigt

Shared letters: berstü. Private to "übersteht": h. Private to "übersteigt": gi.

"übersteht" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCCVCC  ·  "übersteigt" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCCVVCC

Frequency comparison

übersteht#33,938
übersteigt#14,727

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "übersteht" and "übersteigt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈʃteːt] versus [ˌyːbɐˈʃtaɪ̯kt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "übersteht" or "übersteigt"?
"übersteigt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,727 in our German list, against #33,938 for "übersteht". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering übersteht vs übersteigt

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 “übersteht” 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