vorantreibenvsvoranzutreibenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,566
“vorantreiben” frequency rank
#23,361
“voranzutreiben” frequency rank
47927
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorantreiben voranzutreiben
Definition etwas mit Nachdruck betreiben, jemanden oder etwas gezielt fördern erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs vorantreiben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vorantreiben and voranzutreiben apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
vorantreiben
14 ch
voranzutreiben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. vorantreiben ([foˈʁanˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩]) and voranzutreiben ([foˈʁant͡suˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47927, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vorantreiben is recorded at frequency rank #24,566, classified as averb, pronounced [foˈʁanˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩]. voranzutreiben is at rank #23,361, tagged as averb, pronounced [foˈʁant͡suˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩].

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 47927, this pair ranks #1,267,025 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vorantreiben vs voranzutreiben

Shared letters: abeinortv. Private to "vorantreiben": -. Private to "voranzutreiben": uz.

"vorantreiben" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVVCVC  ·  "voranzutreiben" · 14 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vorantreibenovrantreiben · voarntreiben · voranntreiben · voranrteiben · voranteriben · vorantrebien · vorantreibben · vorantreibenn
  • voranzutreibenovranzutreiben · voarnzutreiben · vorannzutreiben · voranuztreiben · voranztureiben · voranzurteiben · voranzuteriben · voranzutrebien

Frequency comparison

vorantreiben#24,566
voranzutreiben#23,361

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vorantreiben" and "voranzutreiben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([foˈʁanˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩] versus [foˈʁant͡suˌtʁaɪ̯bn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vorantreiben" or "voranzutreiben"?
"voranzutreiben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,361 in our German list, against #24,566 for "vorantreiben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vorantreiben vs voranzutreiben

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 “vorantreiben” 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