verbringenvsvordringenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,159
“verbringen” frequency rank
#26,679
“vordringen” frequency rank
29838
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verbringen vordringen
Definition fortbringen, hinwegschaffen nach Überwindung von Hindernissen, mit Gewalt, unter Mühen zu einem bestimmten, vorher nicht erreichten Ort gelangen

Where the spellings diverge

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

10 ch
verbringen
10 ch
vordringen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verbringen ([fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɪŋən]) and vordringen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌdʁɪŋən]) 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 29838, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verbringen is recorded at frequency rank #3,159, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɪŋən]. vordringen is at rank #26,679, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌdʁɪŋən].

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 29838, this pair ranks #1,759,307 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verbringen vs vordringen

Shared letters: eginrv. Private to "verbringen": b. Private to "vordringen": do.

"verbringen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "vordringen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verbringenevrbringen · vebrringen · verbbringen · verbirngen · verbrignen · verbrinegn · verbringenn · verbringgen
  • vordringenovrdringen · vodrringen · vorddringen · vordirngen · vordrignen · vordrinegn · vordringenn · vordringgen

Frequency comparison

verbringen#3,159
vordringen#26,679

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verbringen" and "vordringen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɪŋən] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌdʁɪŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verbringen" or "vordringen"?
"verbringen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,159 in our German list, against #26,679 for "vordringen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verbringen vs vordringen

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 “verbringen” 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