verführenvsvorführenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,860
“verführen” frequency rank
#24,189
“vorführen” frequency rank
41049
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verführen vorführen
Definition an einen anderen Ort führen einem Publikum zeigen

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
verführen
9 ch
vorführen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verführen ([fɛɐ̯ˈfyːʁən]) and vorführen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌfyːʁən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - e in “verführen” becomes o in “vorführen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41049, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verführen is recorded at frequency rank #16,860, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈfyːʁən]. vorführen is at rank #24,189, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌfyːʁən].

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 41049, this pair ranks #1,490,819 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verführen vs vorführen

Shared letters: efhnrvü. Private to "verführen": -. Private to "vorführen": o.

"verführen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "vorführen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

verführen#16,860
vorführen#24,189

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verführen" and "vorführen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈfyːʁən] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌfyːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verführen" or "vorführen"?
"verführen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,860 in our German list, against #24,189 for "vorführen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verführen vs vorführen

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 “verführen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list