Which to use
“vorbeikommen” and “vorgekommen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,767
- “vorbeikommen” frequency rank
- #16,875
- “vorgekommen” frequency rank
- 34642
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorbeikommen | vorgekommen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | kommen und dann wieder gehen, nur kurz besuchen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs vorkommen |
Where the eye mixes vorbeikommen and vorgekommen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. vorbeikommen runs 12 letters (CVCCVVCVCCVC) against vorgekommen's 11 (CVCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: vorbeikommen vs vorgekommen
A purely visual mix-up. vorbeikommen ([foːɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯ˌkɔmən]) and vorgekommen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ɡəˌkɔmən]) 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 34642, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vorbeikommen is recorded at frequency rank #17,767, classified as averb, pronounced [foːɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯ˌkɔmən]. vorgekommen is at rank #16,875, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ɡəˌkɔmən].
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 34642, this pair ranks #1,658,605 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vorbeikommen vs vorgekommen
Shared letters: ekmnorv. Private to "vorbeikommen": bi. Private to "vorgekommen": g.
"vorbeikommen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCCVC · "vorgekommen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vorbeikommen ← ovrbeikommen · vobreikommen · vorbbeikommen · vorbeikkommen · vorbeikmomen · vorbeikomemn · vorbeikomen · vorbeikommenn
- vorgekommen ← ovrgekommen · vogrekommen · voregkommen · vorgekkommen · vorgekmomen · vorgekomemn · vorgekomen · vorgekommenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vorbeikommen" and "vorgekommen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "vorbeikommen" or "vorgekommen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vorbeikommen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vorgekommen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,658,605 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorbeikommen" and "vorgekommen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorgekommen vs vorgenommene". 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 #1,658,605 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.