Which to use
“vorher” and “vorüber” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #804
- “vorher” frequency rank
- #10,968
- “vorüber” frequency rank
- 11772
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorher | vorüber |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | vor diesem Zeitpunkt oder Vorgang | an etwas oder jemanden vorbei |
Where the eye mixes vorher and vorüber
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. vorher runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against vorüber's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between vorher and vorüber
A purely visual mix-up. vorher ([ˈfoːɐ̯heːɐ̯]) and vorüber ([foˈʁyːbɐ]) 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 11772, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vorher is recorded at frequency rank #804, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯heːɐ̯]. vorüber is at rank #10,968, tagged as anadv, pronounced [foˈʁyːbɐ].
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 11772, this pair ranks #1,967,991 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vorher vs vorüber
Shared letters: eorv. Private to "vorher": h. Private to "vorüber": bü.
"vorher" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "vorüber" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vorher ← ovrher · vohrer · vorehr · vorherr · vorhher · vorhre · vorrher · vroher
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vorher" and "vorüber" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "vorher" or "vorüber" show up more?
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 "vorher" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vorüber" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,967,991 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorher" and "vorüber" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorher vs Vorhof". 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 #1,967,991 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.