Which to use
“vollkommen” is an adjective and “vorkommen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,791
- “vollkommen” frequency rank
- #3,626
- “vorkommen” frequency rank
- 5417
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vollkommen | vorkommen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | perfekt, ganz ohne Fehler | sich nach vorn bewegen |
Where the eye mixes vollkommen and vorkommen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. vollkommen runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCCVC) against vorkommen's 9 (CVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between vollkommen and vorkommen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vollkommen is [ˈfɔlkɔmən] while vorkommen is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌkɔmən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5417, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vollkommen is recorded at frequency rank #1,791, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfɔlkɔmən]. 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 5417, this pair ranks #1,994,819 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vollkommen vs vorkommen
Shared letters: ekmnov. Private to "vollkommen": l. Private to "vorkommen": r.
"vollkommen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC · "vorkommen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vollkommen ← ovllkommen · vlolkommen · volklommen · volkommen · vollkkommen · vollkmomen · vollkomemn · vollkomen
- vorkommen ← ovrkommen · vokrommen · vorkkommen · vorkmomen · vorkomemn · vorkomen · vorkommenn · vorkommne
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "vollkommen" and "vorkommen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "vollkommen" vs "vorkommen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vollkommen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vorkommen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,994,819 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vollkommen" and "vorkommen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vorankommen vs vorkommen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,994,819 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.