Which to use
“übertreiben” is a verb and “Übertreibung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,296
- “übertreiben” frequency rank
- #26,719
- “Übertreibung” frequency rank
- 40015
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übertreiben | Übertreibung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Sachverhalt in einer Weise darstellen, dass er mehr einer Eigenschaft besitzt als in Wirklichkeit | übersteigerte Darstellung einer Tatsache |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set übertreiben and Übertreibung apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
übertreiben and Übertreibung form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40015, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
übertreiben is recorded at frequency rank #13,296, classified as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈtʁaɪ̯bn̩]. Übertreibung is at rank #26,719, tagged as anoun, pronounced [yːbɐˈtʁaɪ̯bʊŋ].
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 40015, this pair ranks #1,520,409 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "übertreiben" and "Übertreibung" be used interchangeably?
Remembering übertreiben vs Übertreibung
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “übertreiben”; for a noun, it's “Übertreibung”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “übertreiben” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable