Which to use
“übertreib” and “übertreibe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #43,673
- “übertreib” frequency rank
- #47,173
- “übertreibe” frequency rank
- 90846
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übertreib | übertreibe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs übertreiben | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs übertreiben |
Where the eye mixes übertreib and übertreibe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. übertreib runs 9 letters (VCVCCCVVC) against übertreibe's 10 (VCVCCCVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses übertreib with übertreibe
A purely visual mix-up. übertreib ([yːbɐˈtʁaɪ̯p]) and übertreibe ([yːbɐˈtʁaɪ̯bə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “übertreib” sits inside “übertreibe”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 90846, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
übertreib is recorded at frequency rank #43,673, classified as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈtʁaɪ̯p]. übertreibe is at rank #47,173, tagged as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈtʁaɪ̯bə].
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 90846, this pair ranks #43,130 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of übertreib vs übertreibe
Shared letters: beirtü. Private to "übertreib": -. Private to "übertreibe": -.
"übertreib" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCCVVC · "übertreibe" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCCVVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "übertreib" for "übertreibe" ever safe?
Which is more common, "übertreib" or "übertreibe"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "übertreib" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "übertreibe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #43,130 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übertreib" and "übertreibe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "übertreibe vs übertreibt". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #43,130 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.