vorlagvsVorlagenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vorlag is a verb, Vorlagen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“vorlag” is a verb and “Vorlagen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#29,854
“vorlag” frequency rank
#9,117
“Vorlagen” frequency rank
38971
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorlag Vorlagen
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs vorliegen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Vorlage

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vorlag and Vorlagen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
vorlag
8 ch
Vorlagen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vorlag is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌlaːk] while Vorlagen is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌlaːɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “vorlag” sits inside “Vorlagen”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38971, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vorlag is recorded at frequency rank #29,854, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌlaːk]. Vorlagen is at rank #9,117, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌlaːɡn̩].

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 38971, this pair ranks #1,549,691 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vorlag vs Vorlagen

Shared letters: aglorv. Private to "vorlag": -. Private to "Vorlagen": en.

"vorlag" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Vorlagen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vorlagovrlag · volrag · voralg · vorlagg · vorlga · vorllag · vorrlag · vrolag
  • Vorlagenovrlagen · volragen · voralgen · vorlaegn · vorlagenn · vorlaggen · vorlagne · vorlgaen

Frequency comparison

vorlag#29,854
Vorlagen#9,117

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vorlag" and "Vorlagen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vorlag" is a verb and "Vorlagen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vorlag" or "Vorlagen"?
"Vorlagen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,117 in our German list, against #29,854 for "vorlag". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vorlag vs Vorlagen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “vorlag”; for a noun, it's “Vorlagen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vorlag” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list