übertreffen

\yː.bɐˈ.tʁɛ.fən\

/\yː.bɐˈ.tʁɛ.fən\/ verb

The verdict

“übertreffen” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Surpasser.

Corpus desk

Index FR-ubertreffen · übertreffen · French

übertreffen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "Ü" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for übertreffen
PropertyValue
Headwordübertreffen
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\yː.bɐˈ.tʁɛ.fən\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « übertreffen » en français

übertreffenn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

übertreffen is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \yː.bɐˈ.tʁɛ.fən\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

übertreffen has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is übertreffen, spelled Ü-B-E-R-T-R-E-F-F-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Surpasser.
  2. 2
    Dépasser, être plus … que.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how übertreffen appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Niemand kann sie übertreffen.
  2. Die Kontrahenten schienen einander in Unsportlichkeit übertreffen zu wollen: Senegals Fans malträtierten Ägyptens Spieler permanent mit Laserpointern, diese wiederum übten sich wie schon beim Afrika-Cup in Zeitschinden und Stänkereien.

Synonyms

toppenüberbietenüberbordenüberragen

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "übertreffen"?
"übertreffen" is spelled Ü-B-E-R-T-R-E-F-F-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \yː.bɐˈ.tʁɛ.fən\.
What does "übertreffen" mean?
As a verb, "übertreffen" means: Surpasser.
How do you pronounce "übertreffen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "übertreffen" is \yː.bɐˈ.tʁɛ.fən\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "übertreffen" come from?
"übertreffen" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list