vorführenvsVorführungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vorführen is a verb, Vorführung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“vorführen” is a verb and “Vorführung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#24,189
“vorführen” frequency rank
#17,768
“Vorführung” frequency rank
41957
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorführen Vorführung
Definition einem Publikum zeigen künstlerische Aufführung vor Publikum

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vorführen and Vorführung apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
vorführen
10 ch
Vorführung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vorführen is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌfyːʁən] while Vorführung is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌfyːʁʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41957, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vorführen is recorded at frequency rank #24,189, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌfyːʁən]. Vorführung is at rank #17,768, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌfyːʁʊŋ].

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 41957, this pair ranks #1,463,904 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vorführen vs Vorführung

Shared letters: fhnorvü. Private to "vorführen": e. Private to "Vorführung": gu.

"vorführen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "Vorführung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC

Frequency comparison

vorführen#24,189
Vorführung#17,768

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vorführen" and "Vorführung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vorführen" is a verb and "Vorführung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vorführen" or "Vorführung"?
"Vorführung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,768 in our German list, against #24,189 for "vorführen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vorführen vs Vorführung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “vorführen”; for a noun, it's “Vorführung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vorführen” 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