voreiligvsvorzeitigWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#28,465
“voreilig” frequency rank
#9,119
“vorzeitig” frequency rank
37584
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature voreilig vorzeitig
Definition zu schnell (eilig), ohne sich Zeit zum Nachdenken zu geben früher als vorgesehen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set voreilig and vorzeitig apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
voreilig
9 ch
vorzeitig

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. voreilig ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʔaɪ̯lɪç]) and vorzeitig ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯tɪç]) 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 37584, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

voreilig is recorded at frequency rank #28,465, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʔaɪ̯lɪç]. vorzeitig is at rank #9,119, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯tɪç].

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 37584, this pair ranks #1,586,362 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of voreilig vs vorzeitig

Shared letters: egiorv. Private to "voreilig": l. Private to "vorzeitig": tz.

"voreilig" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC  ·  "vorzeitig" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • voreiligovreilig · voerilig · voreiilg · voreilgi · voreiligg · voreillig · voreliig · vorielig
  • vorzeitigovrzeitig · vorezitig · vorrzeitig · vorzeiitg · vorzeitgi · vorzeitigg · vorzeittig · vorzetiig

Frequency comparison

voreilig#28,465
vorzeitig#9,119

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "voreilig" and "vorzeitig" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʔaɪ̯lɪç] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯tɪç]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "voreilig" or "vorzeitig"?
"vorzeitig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,119 in our German list, against #28,465 for "voreilig". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering voreilig vs vorzeitig

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 “voreilig” 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