Which to use
“übertreib” and “übertreiben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #43,673
- “übertreib” frequency rank
- #13,296
- “übertreiben” frequency rank
- 56969
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übertreib | übertreiben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs übertreiben | einen Sachverhalt in einer Weise darstellen, dass er mehr einer Eigenschaft besitzt als in Wirklichkeit |
Where the eye mixes übertreib and übertreiben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. übertreib runs 9 letters (VCVCCCVVC) against übertreiben's 11 (VCVCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses übertreib with übertreiben
A purely visual mix-up. übertreib ([yːbɐˈtʁaɪ̯p]) and übertreiben ([yːbɐˈtʁaɪ̯bn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “übertreib” sits inside “übertreiben”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56969, 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]. übertreiben is at rank #13,296, tagged as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈtʁaɪ̯bn̩].
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 56969, this pair ranks #919,713 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of übertreib vs übertreiben
Shared letters: beirtü. Private to "übertreib": -. Private to "übertreiben": n.
"übertreib" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCCVVC · "übertreiben" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "übertreib" and "übertreiben" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "übertreib" or "übertreiben"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "übertreib" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "übertreiben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #919,713 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übertreib" and "übertreiben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "übertreib vs übertreibe". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #919,713 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.