vorlagvsVortragConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#29,854
“vorlag” frequency rank
#2,799
“Vortrag” frequency rank
32653
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorlag Vortrag
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs vorliegen Rede vor einem Publikum über ein bestimmtes Thema

Where the eye mixes vorlag and Vortrag

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. vorlag runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Vortrag's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
vorlag
7 ch
Vortrag

Visual trap between vorlag and Vortrag

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vorlag is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌlaːk] while Vortrag is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌtʁaːk]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32653, 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]. Vortrag is at rank #2,799, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌtʁaːk].

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 32653, this pair ranks #1,702,982 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vorlag vs Vortrag

Shared letters: agorv. Private to "vorlag": l. Private to "Vortrag": t.

"vorlag" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Vortrag" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vorlag ← ovrlag · volrag · voralg · vorlagg · vorlga · vorllag · vorrlag · vrolag
  • Vortrag ← ovrtrag · vorrtag · vorrtrag · vortarg · vortragg · vortrga · vortrrag · vorttrag

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "vorlag" and "Vortrag" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vorlag" is a verb and "Vortrag" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "vorlag" vs "Vortrag" - which ranks higher?
"Vortrag" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,799 in our German list, against #29,854 for "vorlag". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "vorlag" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Vortrag" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,702,982 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "vorlag" and "Vortrag" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vorbau vs vorlag". 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 #1,702,982 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