verkommenvsvorkommenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,766
“verkommen” frequency rank
#3,626
“vorkommen” frequency rank
27392
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verkommen vorkommen
Definition schlecht werden sich nach vorn bewegen

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
verkommen
9 ch
vorkommen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verkommen ([fɛɐ̯ˈkɔmən]) and vorkommen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌkɔmən]) 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 “verkommen” becomes o in “vorkommen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27392, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verkommen is recorded at frequency rank #23,766, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈkɔmən]. vorkommen is at rank #3,626, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌkɔmən].

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 27392, this pair ranks #1,802,507 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verkommen vs vorkommen

Shared letters: ekmnorv. Private to "verkommen": -. Private to "vorkommen": -.

"verkommen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "vorkommen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verkommenevrkommen · vekrommen · verkkommen · verkmomen · verkomemn · verkomen · verkommenn · verkommne
  • vorkommenovrkommen · vokrommen · vorkkommen · vorkmomen · vorkomemn · vorkomen · vorkommenn · vorkommne

Frequency comparison

verkommen#23,766
vorkommen#3,626

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verkommen" and "vorkommen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈkɔmən] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌkɔmən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verkommen" or "vorkommen"?
"vorkommen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,626 in our German list, against #23,766 for "verkommen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verkommen vs vorkommen

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 “verkommen” 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