Hallo, How are the words 'sterven' and 'overleden' different ? Thank you.

Question

Answer

The verbs are: sterven and overlijden.
- sterf      stierf       gestorven
- overlijd  overleed   overleden
You often can use both but there is a small difference.

Overlijden is a little bit more former.
So it is better to say:
- Hij overleed aan kanker

In stead of:
- Hij stierf aan kanker

In media (especially in headlines) people tend to use 'overleden'.
For example:
"Zangeres Whitney Houston overleden"
"Ze overleed (of stierf) ....."

Answer

Sterven is closer to "to die"  (dood gaan)
Overlijden is closer to "to decease"