Which to use
“vorher” is an adverb and “Vorwerk” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #804
- “vorher” frequency rank
- #31,873
- “Vorwerk” frequency rank
- 32677
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorher | Vorwerk |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | vor diesem Zeitpunkt oder Vorgang | einer Burg vorgelagerte Befestigungsanlage |
Where the eye mixes vorher and Vorwerk
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. vorher runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Vorwerk's 7 (CVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: vorher vs Vorwerk
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vorher is [ˈfoːɐ̯heːɐ̯] while Vorwerk is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌvɛʁk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32677, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vorher is recorded at frequency rank #804, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯heːɐ̯]. Vorwerk is at rank #31,873, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌvɛʁk].
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 32677, this pair ranks #1,702,437 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vorher vs Vorwerk
Shared letters: eorv. Private to "vorher": h. Private to "Vorwerk": kw.
"vorher" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Vorwerk" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "vorher" and "Vorwerk" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "vorher" or "Vorwerk" show up more?
What to do next
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 "Vorwerk" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,702,437 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorher" and "Vorwerk" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vermerk vs Vorwerk". 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 #1,702,437 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.