Which to use
“Vorfall” and “Vorfälle” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,125
- “Vorfall” frequency rank
- #12,626
- “Vorfälle” frequency rank
- 18751
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Vorfall | Vorfälle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein außergewöhnliches oder spezielles (und meist negatives) Ereignis / Geschehnis | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Vorfall |
Where the eye mixes Vorfall and Vorfälle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Vorfall runs 7 letters (CVCCVCC) against Vorfälle's 8 (CVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Vorfall with Vorfälle
A purely visual mix-up. Vorfall ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌfal]) and Vorfälle ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌfɛlə]) 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 18751, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Vorfall is recorded at frequency rank #6,125, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌfal]. Vorfälle is at rank #12,626, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌfɛlə].
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 18751, this pair ranks #1,915,252 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Vorfall vs Vorfälle
Shared letters: florv. Private to "Vorfall": a. Private to "Vorfälle": eä.
"Vorfall" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "Vorfälle" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Vorfall ← ovrfall · vofrall · vorafll · vorfal · vorffall · vorflal · vorrfall · vrofall
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Vorfall" and "Vorfälle" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Vorfall" or "Vorfälle"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Vorfall" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Vorfälle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,915,252 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Vorfall" and "Vorfälle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vorfälle vs Vorhalle". 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 #1,915,252 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.