vorkommenvsvorkommtTell them apart

Which to use

“vorkommen” and “vorkommt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#3,626
“vorkommen” frequency rank
#6,877
“vorkommt” frequency rank
10503
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorkommen vorkommt
Definition sich nach vorn bewegen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs vorkommen

Where the eye mixes vorkommen and vorkommt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. vorkommen runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against vorkommt's 8 (CVCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
vorkommen
8 ch
vorkommt

Look-alike desk: vorkommen vs vorkommt

A purely visual mix-up. vorkommen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌkɔmən]) and vorkommt ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌkɔmt]) 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 10503, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vorkommen is recorded at frequency rank #3,626, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌkɔmən]. vorkommt is at rank #6,877, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌkɔmt].

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 10503, this pair ranks #1,974,809 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vorkommen vs vorkommt

Shared letters: kmorv. Private to "vorkommen": en. Private to "vorkommt": t.

"vorkommen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "vorkommt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vorkommen ← ovrkommen · vokrommen · vorkkommen · vorkmomen · vorkomemn · vorkomen · vorkommenn · vorkommne
  • vorkommt ← ovrkommt · vokrommt · vorkkommt · vorkmomt · vorkommtt · vorkomt · vorkomtm · vorokmmt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vorkommen" and "vorkommt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌkɔmən] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌkɔmt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "vorkommen" vs "vorkommt" - which ranks higher?
"vorkommen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,626 in our German list, against #6,877 for "vorkommt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "vorkommen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "vorkommt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,974,809 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "vorkommen" and "vorkommt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verkommt vs vorkommt". 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 #1,974,809 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list