übertragenevsÜbertragungConfusable pair

Quick tell: übertragene is a adjective, Übertragung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“übertragene” is an adjective and “Übertragung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#39,753
“übertragene” frequency rank
#4,583
“Übertragung” frequency rank
44336
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature übertragene Übertragung
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs übertragen Sendung, Übermittlung

Where the eye mixes übertragene and Übertragung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. übertragene (VCVCCCVCVCV) and Übertragung (VCVCCCVCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

11 ch
übertragene
11 ch
Übertragung

Why the eye confuses übertragene with Übertragung

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: übertragene is [ˌyːbɐˈtʁaːɡənə] while Übertragung is [ˌyːbɐˈtʁaːɡʊŋ]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44336, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

übertragene is recorded at frequency rank #39,753, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈtʁaːɡənə]. Übertragung is at rank #4,583, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈtʁaːɡʊŋ].

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 44336, this pair ranks #1,389,516 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of übertragene vs Übertragung

Shared letters: abegnrtü. Private to "übertragene": -. Private to "Übertragung": u.

"übertragene" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCCVCVCV  ·  "Übertragung" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCCVCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "übertragene" and "Übertragung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "übertragene" is an adjective and "Übertragung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "übertragene" vs "Übertragung" - which ranks higher?
"Übertragung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,583 in our German list, against #39,753 for "übertragene". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "übertragene" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Übertragung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,389,516 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "übertragene" and "Übertragung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "überragende vs übertragene". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,389,516 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