Which to use
“übersteigen” and “übersteigt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,148
- “übersteigen” frequency rank
- #14,727
- “übersteigt” frequency rank
- 34875
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übersteigen | übersteigt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | größer sein als etwas | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs übersteigen |
Where the eye mixes übersteigen and übersteigt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. übersteigen runs 11 letters (VCVCCCVVCVC) against übersteigt's 10 (VCVCCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: übersteigen vs übersteigt
A purely visual mix-up. übersteigen ([ˌyːbɐˈʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]) 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 34875, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
übersteigen is recorded at frequency rank #20,148, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]. 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 34875, this pair ranks #1,653,282 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of übersteigen vs übersteigt
Shared letters: begirstü. Private to "übersteigen": n. Private to "übersteigt": -.
"übersteigen" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCCVVCVC · "übersteigt" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCCVVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "übersteigen" for "übersteigt" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "übersteigen" or "übersteigt" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "übersteigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "übersteigt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,653,282 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übersteigen" and "übersteigt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "übersteigt vs überstellt". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,653,282 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.