Which to use
“vorbei” and “vorüber” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #627
- “vorbei” frequency rank
- #10,968
- “vorüber” frequency rank
- 11595
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorbei | vorüber |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | bereits zu einem Ende gekommen, vergangen | an etwas oder jemanden vorbei |
Where the eye mixes vorbei and vorüber
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. vorbei runs 6 letters (CVCCVV) against vorüber's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: vorbei vs vorüber
A purely visual mix-up. vorbei ([foːɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯]) and vorüber ([foˈʁyːbɐ]) 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 11595, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vorbei is recorded at frequency rank #627, classified as anadv, pronounced [foːɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯]. vorüber is at rank #10,968, tagged as anadv, pronounced [foˈʁyːbɐ].
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 11595, this pair ranks #1,969,005 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vorbei vs vorüber
Shared letters: beorv. Private to "vorbei": i. Private to "vorüber": ü.
"vorbei" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV · "vorüber" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vorbei ← ovrbei · vobrei · vorbbei · vorbie · vorebi · vorrbei · vrobei · vvorbei
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vorbei" for "vorüber" ever safe?
Frequency check: "vorbei" vs "vorüber" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
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 "vorüber" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,969,005 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorbei" and "vorüber" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vorbau vs vorbei". 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 #1,969,005 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.