VorgängenvsVorhängeConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#25,393
“Vorgängen” frequency rank
#18,755
“Vorhänge” frequency rank
44148
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vorgängen Vorhänge
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Vorgang Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Vorhang

Where the eye mixes Vorgängen and Vorhänge

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Vorgängen runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against Vorhänge's 8 (CVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
Vorgängen
8 ch
Vorhänge

Look-alike desk: Vorgängen vs Vorhänge

A purely visual mix-up. Vorgängen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌɡɛŋən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44148, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Vorgängen is recorded at frequency rank #25,393, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌɡɛŋən]. 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 44148, this pair ranks #1,395,469 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Vorgängen vs Vorhänge

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

"Vorgängen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "Vorhänge" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Vorgängen" for "Vorhänge" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌɡɛŋən] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯hɛŋə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Vorgängen" or "Vorhänge" show up more?
"Vorhänge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,755 in our German list, against #25,393 for "Vorgängen". 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 "Vorgängen" 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 #1,395,469 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Vorgängen" and "Vorhänge" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vorgängen vs Vorgangs". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,395,469 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