VorgängevsVorhangWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,483
“Vorgänge” frequency rank
#10,009
“Vorhang” frequency rank
19492
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vorgänge Vorhang
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Vorgang ein oder mehrere, gegebenenfalls zusammengenähte, Bahnen aus Textil oder anderem Material ursprünglich zum Davorhängen, zum Bedecken von Raumöffnungen, zum Aufteilen, Abteilen von Räumen

Where the eye mixes Vorgänge and Vorhang

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Vorgänge runs 8 letters (CVCCVCCV) against Vorhang's 7 (CVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
Vorgänge
7 ch
Vorhang

Look-alike desk: Vorgänge vs Vorhang

A purely visual mix-up. Vorgänge ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌɡɛŋə]) and Vorhang ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌhaŋ]) 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 19492, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Vorgänge is recorded at frequency rank #9,483, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌɡɛŋə]. Vorhang is at rank #10,009, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌhaŋ].

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 19492, this pair ranks #1,907,777 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Vorgänge vs Vorhang

Shared letters: gnorv. Private to "Vorgänge": eä. Private to "Vorhang": ah.

"Vorgänge" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV  ·  "Vorhang" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Vorhang ← ovrhang · vohrang · vorahng · vorhagn · vorhangg · vorhanng · vorhhang · vorhnag

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Vorgänge" and "Vorhang" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌɡɛŋə] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌhaŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Vorgänge" or "Vorhang" show up more?
"Vorgänge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,483 in our German list, against #10,009 for "Vorhang". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Vorgänge" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Vorhang" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,907,777 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Vorgänge" and "Vorhang" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vorgangs vs Vorhang". 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 #1,907,777 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