Which to use
“vorgelesen” and “vorlesen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,769
- “vorgelesen” frequency rank
- #12,413
- “vorlesen” frequency rank
- 30182
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorgelesen | vorlesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs vorlesen | Schriftzeichen, Worte und Texte wahrnehmen und sprachlich laut wiedergeben; laut lesen, so dass andere es hören können |
Where the eye mixes vorgelesen and vorlesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. vorgelesen runs 10 letters (CVCCVCVCVC) against vorlesen's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: vorgelesen vs vorlesen
A purely visual mix-up. vorgelesen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ɡəˌleːzn̩]) and vorlesen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːzn̩]) 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 30182, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vorgelesen is recorded at frequency rank #17,769, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ɡəˌleːzn̩]. vorlesen is at rank #12,413, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːzn̩].
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 30182, this pair ranks #1,752,823 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vorgelesen vs vorlesen
Shared letters: elnorsv. Private to "vorgelesen": g. Private to "vorlesen": -.
"vorgelesen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC · "vorlesen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vorgelesen ← ovrgelesen · vogrelesen · voreglesen · vorgeelsen · vorgeleesn · vorgelesenn · vorgelesne · vorgelessen
- vorlesen ← ovrlesen · volresen · vorelsen · vorleesn · vorlesenn · vorlesne · vorlessen · vorllesen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vorgelesen" and "vorlesen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "vorgelesen" or "vorlesen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vorgelesen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vorlesen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,752,823 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorgelesen" and "vorlesen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorgelesen 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 #1,752,823 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.