überzeugen vs überzeugten, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“überzeugen” is a verb and “überzeugten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,423
“überzeugen” frequency rank: #28,494
“überzeugten” frequency rank: 30917
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	überzeugen	überzeugten
Definition	jemandem die Richtigkeit glaubhaft machen	Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs überzeugt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set überzeugen and überzeugten apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch

überzeugen

11 ch

überzeugten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

überzeugen and überzeugten 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 30917, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

überzeugen is recorded at frequency rank #2,423, classified as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈt͡sɔɪ̯ɡŋ̍]. überzeugten is at rank #28,494, tagged as anadj, pronounced [yːbɐˈt͡sɔɪ̯ktn̩].

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 30917, this pair ranks #1,738,498 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

überzeugen#2,423

überzeugten#28,494

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "überzeugen" and "überzeugten" be used interchangeably?

No, "überzeugen" and "überzeugten" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering überzeugen vs überzeugten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “überzeugen”; for an adjective, it's “überzeugten”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “überzeugen” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable