VollzeitvsVorzeitWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,484
“Vollzeit” frequency rank
#45,030
“Vorzeit” frequency rank
53514
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vollzeit Vorzeit
Definition Arbeitszeit, die der normalen Wochenarbeitszeit entspricht Zeitraum, der längst vergangen ist

Where the eye mixes Vollzeit and Vorzeit

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Vollzeit runs 8 letters (CVCCCVVC) against Vorzeit's 7 (CVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
Vollzeit
7 ch
Vorzeit

Visual trap between Vollzeit and Vorzeit

A purely visual mix-up. Vollzeit ([ˈfɔlˌt͡saɪ̯t]) and Vorzeit ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯t]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53514, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Vollzeit is recorded at frequency rank #8,484, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɔlˌt͡saɪ̯t]. Vorzeit is at rank #45,030, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯t].

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 53514, this pair ranks #1,055,018 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Vollzeit vs Vorzeit

Shared letters: eiotvz. Private to "Vollzeit": l. Private to "Vorzeit": r.

"Vollzeit" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVC  ·  "Vorzeit" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Vollzeit ← ovllzeit · vlolzeit · vollezit · vollzeitt · vollzeti · vollziet · vollzzeit · volzeit
  • Vorzeit ← ovrzeit · vorezit · vorrzeit · vorzeitt · vorzeti · vorziet · vorzzeit · vozreit

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Vollzeit" and "Vorzeit" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɔlˌt͡saɪ̯t] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Vollzeit" or "Vorzeit" show up more?
"Vollzeit" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,484 in our German list, against #45,030 for "Vorzeit". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Vollzeit" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Vorzeit" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,055,018 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Vollzeit" and "Vorzeit" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorzeige vs Vorzeit". 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 #1,055,018 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list