vorbeigehenvsvorbeiziehenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,780
“vorbeigehen” frequency rank
#47,108
“vorbeiziehen” frequency rank
67888
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorbeigehen vorbeiziehen
Definition erst zu Fuß näher herankommen und sich dann wieder entfernen sich an jemandem oder etwas vorbei bewegen, der/das selbst still stehen bleibt ( in einem sich bewegenden Fahrzeug sein, während sich die Aussicht deshalb verändert, weil man sich fortbewegt) sich vor dem Fenster/Ausblick verändern

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vorbeigehen and vorbeiziehen apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
vorbeigehen
12 ch
vorbeiziehen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. vorbeigehen ([foːɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯ˌɡeːən]) and vorbeiziehen ([foːɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯ˌt͡siːən]) 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 67888, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vorbeigehen is recorded at frequency rank #20,780, classified as averb, pronounced [foːɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯ˌɡeːən]. vorbeiziehen is at rank #47,108, tagged as averb, pronounced [foːɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯ˌt͡siːən].

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 67888, this pair ranks #525,475 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vorbeigehen vs vorbeiziehen

Shared letters: behinorv. Private to "vorbeigehen": g. Private to "vorbeiziehen": z.

"vorbeigehen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCVC  ·  "vorbeiziehen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVVCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vorbeigehenovrbeigehen · vobreigehen · vorbbeigehen · vorbegiehen · vorbeieghen · vorbeigeehn · vorbeigehenn · vorbeigehhen
  • vorbeiziehenovrbeiziehen · vobreiziehen · vorbbeiziehen · vorbeiizehen · vorbeizeihen · vorbeizieehn · vorbeiziehenn · vorbeiziehhen

Frequency comparison

vorbeigehen#20,780
vorbeiziehen#47,108

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vorbeigehen" and "vorbeiziehen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([foːɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯ˌɡeːən] versus [foːɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯ˌt͡siːən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vorbeigehen" or "vorbeiziehen"?
"vorbeigehen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,780 in our German list, against #47,108 for "vorbeiziehen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vorbeigehen vs vorbeiziehen

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 “vorbeigehen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list