VorgängevsVorhängeConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#9,483
“Vorgänge” frequency rank
#18,755
“Vorhänge” frequency rank
28238
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vorgänge Vorhänge
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Vorgang Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Vorhang

Where the eye mixes Vorgänge and Vorhänge

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Vorgänge and Vorhänge follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

8 ch
Vorgänge
8 ch
Vorhänge

Why the eye confuses Vorgänge with Vorhänge

A purely visual mix-up. Vorgänge ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌɡɛŋə]) and Vorhänge ([ˈfoːɐ̯hɛŋə]) 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 a single letter - g in “Vorgänge” becomes h in “Vorhänge”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28238, 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]. Vorhänge is at rank #18,755, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯hɛŋə].

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 28238, this pair ranks #1,788,241 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Vorgänge vs Vorhänge

Shared letters: egnorvä. Private to "Vorgänge": -. Private to "Vorhänge": h.

"Vorgänge" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV  ·  "Vorhänge" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Vorgänge" for "Vorhänge" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌɡɛŋə] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯hɛŋə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Vorgänge" or "Vorhänge"?
"Vorgänge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,483 in our German list, against #18,755 for "Vorhänge". 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 "Vorhänge" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,788,241 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Vorgänge" and "Vorhänge" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vorgangs vs Vorhänge". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,788,241 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