vordringenvsvorzudringenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#26,679
“vordringen” frequency rank
#43,621
“vorzudringen” frequency rank
70300
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vordringen vorzudringen
Definition nach Überwindung von Hindernissen, mit Gewalt, unter Mühen zu einem bestimmten, vorher nicht erreichten Ort gelangen erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs vordringen

Where the eye mixes vordringen and vorzudringen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. vordringen runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCCVC) against vorzudringen's 12 (CVCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
vordringen
12 ch
vorzudringen

Visual trap between vordringen and vorzudringen

A purely visual mix-up. vordringen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌdʁɪŋən]) and vorzudringen ([ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌdʁɪŋən]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70300, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vordringen is recorded at frequency rank #26,679, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌdʁɪŋən]. vorzudringen is at rank #43,621, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌdʁɪŋən].

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 70300, this pair ranks #450,428 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of vordringen vs vorzudringen

Shared letters: deginorv. Private to "vordringen": -. Private to "vorzudringen": uz.

"vordringen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "vorzudringen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vordringen ← ovrdringen · vodrringen · vorddringen · vordirngen · vordrignen · vordrinegn · vordringenn · vordringgen
  • vorzudringen ← ovrzudringen · vorrzudringen · voruzdringen · vorzduringen · vorzuddringen · vorzudirngen · vorzudrignen · vorzudrinegn

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "vordringen" and "vorzudringen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌdʁɪŋən] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌdʁɪŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vordringen" or "vorzudringen"?
"vordringen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,679 in our German list, against #43,621 for "vorzudringen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "vordringen" and "vorzudringen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "vordringen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "vorzudringen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #450,428 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "vordringen" and "vorzudringen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorbringen vs vordringen". 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 #450,428 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list