Which to use
“vorbei” is an adverb and “Vorzeit” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #627
- “vorbei” frequency rank
- #45,030
- “Vorzeit” frequency rank
- 45657
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorbei | Vorzeit |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | bereits zu einem Ende gekommen, vergangen | Zeitraum, der längst vergangen ist |
Where the eye mixes vorbei and Vorzeit
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. vorbei runs 6 letters (CVCCVV) against Vorzeit's 7 (CVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between vorbei and Vorzeit
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vorbei is [foːɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯] while Vorzeit is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯t]. 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 (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45657, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vorbei is recorded at frequency rank #627, classified as anadv, pronounced [foːɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯]. 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 45657, this pair ranks #1,345,543 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vorbei vs Vorzeit
Shared letters: eiorv. Private to "vorbei": b. Private to "Vorzeit": tz.
"vorbei" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV · "Vorzeit" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vorbei" for "Vorzeit" ever safe?
Frequency check: "vorbei" vs "Vorzeit" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "vorbei" 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 #1,345,543 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorbei" 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 #1,345,543 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.