Which to use
“verbindlich” and “vorbildlich” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,506
- “verbindlich” frequency rank
- #13,977
- “vorbildlich” frequency rank
- 29483
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verbindlich | vorbildlich |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in der Begegnung mit anderen Menschen, Dingen, Ereignissen positiv eingestellt; entgegenkommend, freundlich | anderen als Vorbild, Muster zur Nachahmung dienen könnend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verbindlich and vorbildlich apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. verbindlich ([fɛɐ̯ˈbɪntlɪç]) and vorbildlich ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌbɪltlɪç]) 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 29483, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verbindlich is recorded at frequency rank #15,506, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈbɪntlɪç]. vorbildlich is at rank #13,977, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌbɪltlɪç].
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 29483, this pair ranks #1,765,989 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verbindlich vs vorbildlich
Shared letters: bcdhilrv. Private to "verbindlich": en. Private to "vorbildlich": o.
"verbindlich" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCC · "vorbildlich" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verbindlich ← evrbindlich · vebrindlich · verbbindlich · verbidnlich · verbinddlich · verbindilch · verbindlcih · verbindlicch
- vorbildlich ← ovrbildlich · vobrildlich · vorbbildlich · vorbidllich · vorbilddlich · vorbildilch · vorbildlcih · vorbildlicch
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verbindlich" and "vorbildlich" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "verbindlich" or "vorbildlich"?
Remembering verbindlich vs vorbildlich
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 “verbindlich” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable