Which to use
“vorgehen” and “vorzugehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,006
- “vorgehen” frequency rank
- #14,456
- “vorzugehen” frequency rank
- 17462
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorgehen | vorzugehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich nach vorne bewegen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs vorgehen |
Where the eye mixes vorgehen and vorzugehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. vorgehen runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against vorzugehen's 10 (CVCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between vorgehen and vorzugehen
A purely visual mix-up. vorgehen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌɡeːən]) and vorzugehen ([ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌɡeːən]) 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 17462, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vorgehen is recorded at frequency rank #3,006, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌɡeːən]. vorzugehen is at rank #14,456, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌɡeːən].
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 17462, this pair ranks #1,927,180 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vorgehen vs vorzugehen
Shared letters: eghnorv. Private to "vorgehen": -. Private to "vorzugehen": uz.
"vorgehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "vorzugehen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vorgehen ← ovrgehen · vogrehen · voreghen · vorgeehn · vorgehenn · vorgehhen · vorgehne · vorggehen
- vorzugehen ← ovrzugehen · vorrzugehen · voruzgehen · vorzguehen · vorzueghen · vorzugeehn · vorzugehenn · vorzugehhen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vorgehen" for "vorzugehen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "vorgehen" vs "vorzugehen" - which ranks higher?
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 "vorgehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vorzugehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,927,180 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorgehen" and "vorzugehen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorzugehen vs vorzulesen". 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 #1,927,180 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.