Which to use
“vorbei” and “vorher” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #627
- “vorbei” frequency rank
- #804
- “vorher” frequency rank
- 1431
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorbei | vorher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | bereits zu einem Ende gekommen, vergangen | vor diesem Zeitpunkt oder Vorgang |
Where the eye mixes vorbei and vorher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. vorbei (CVCCVV) and vorher (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between vorbei and vorher
A purely visual mix-up. vorbei ([foːɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯]) and vorher ([ˈfoːɐ̯heːɐ̯]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1431, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vorbei is recorded at frequency rank #627, classified as anadv, pronounced [foːɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯]. vorher is at rank #804, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯heːɐ̯].
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 1431, this pair ranks #2,004,352 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vorbei vs vorher
Shared letters: eorv. Private to "vorbei": bi. Private to "vorher": h.
"vorbei" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV · "vorher" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vorbei" for "vorher" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "vorbei" or "vorher" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vorbei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vorher" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,004,352 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorbei" and "vorher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorher vs Vorhof". 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 #2,004,352 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.