Which to use
“Vorgängern” and “Vorgängers” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,853
- “Vorgängern” frequency rank
- #26,682
- “Vorgängers” frequency rank
- 56535
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Vorgängern | Vorgängers |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Vorgänger | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Vorgänger |
Where the eye mixes Vorgängern and Vorgängers
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Vorgängern and Vorgängers follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: Vorgängern vs Vorgängers
A purely visual mix-up. Vorgängern ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌɡɛŋɐn]) and Vorgängers ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌɡɛŋɐs]) 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 - n in “Vorgängern” becomes s in “Vorgängers”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56535, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Vorgängern is recorded at frequency rank #29,853, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌɡɛŋɐn]. Vorgängers is at rank #26,682, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌɡɛŋɐs].
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 56535, this pair ranks #936,449 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Vorgängern vs Vorgängers
Shared letters: egnorvä. Private to "Vorgängern": -. Private to "Vorgängers": s.
"Vorgängern" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC · "Vorgängers" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Vorgängern" for "Vorgängers" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Vorgängern" or "Vorgängers" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Vorgängern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Vorgängers" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #936,449 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Vorgängern" and "Vorgängers" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vorgängers vs Vorgangs". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #936,449 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.