überwiesenvsüberziehenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“überwiesen” and “überziehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#13,535
“überwiesen” frequency rank
#26,273
“überziehen” frequency rank
39808
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature überwiesen überziehen
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs überweisen etwas sich oder jemandem über den Körper oder einen Körperteil ziehen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überwiesen and überziehen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
überwiesen
10 ch
überziehen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. überwiesen ([ˌyːbɐˈviːzn̩]) and überziehen ([ˈyːbɐˌt͡siːən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39808, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

überwiesen is recorded at frequency rank #13,535, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌyːbɐˈviːzn̩]. überziehen is at rank #26,273, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌt͡siːən].

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 39808, this pair ranks #1,526,311 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of überwiesen vs überziehen

Shared letters: beinrü. Private to "überwiesen": sw. Private to "überziehen": hz.

"überwiesen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVC  ·  "überziehen" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVC

Frequency comparison

überwiesen#13,535
überziehen#26,273

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überwiesen" and "überziehen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌyːbɐˈviːzn̩] versus [ˈyːbɐˌt͡siːən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "überwiesen" or "überziehen"?
"überwiesen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,535 in our German list, against #26,273 for "überziehen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering überwiesen vs überziehen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “überwiesen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list