Which to use
“vorführen” and “vorzuführen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,189
- “vorführen” frequency rank
- #46,385
- “vorzuführen” frequency rank
- 70574
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorführen | vorzuführen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einem Publikum zeigen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs vorführen |
Where the eye mixes vorführen and vorzuführen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. vorführen runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against vorzuführen's 11 (CVCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: vorführen vs vorzuführen
A purely visual mix-up. vorführen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌfyːʁən]) and vorzuführen ([ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌfyːʁən]) 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 70574, 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]. vorzuführen is at rank #46,385, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌfyːʁən].
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 70574, this pair ranks #442,195 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of vorführen vs vorzuführen
Shared letters: efhnorvü. Private to "vorführen": -. Private to "vorzuführen": uz.
"vorführen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "vorzuführen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vorführen" for "vorzuführen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "vorführen" or "vorzuführen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vorführen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vorzuführen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #442,195 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorführen" and "vorzuführen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorführen vs Vorjahren". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #442,195 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.