Which to use
“Vorlage” and “Vorlauf” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,011
- “Vorlage” frequency rank
- #22,957
- “Vorlauf” frequency rank
- 26968
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Vorlage | Vorlauf |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hilfsmittel zur Erstellung ähnlicher Stücke (materiell oder informationstechnisch) | die normale Laufrichtung |
Where the eye mixes Vorlage and Vorlauf
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Vorlage with Vorlauf
A purely visual mix-up. Vorlage ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌlaːɡə]) and Vorlauf ([ˈfoːɐ̯laʊ̯f]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26968, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Vorlage is recorded at frequency rank #4,011, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌlaːɡə]. Vorlauf is at rank #22,957, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯laʊ̯f].
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 26968, this pair ranks #1,809,417 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Vorlage vs Vorlauf
Shared letters: alorv. Private to "Vorlage": eg. Private to "Vorlauf": fu.
"Vorlage" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "Vorlauf" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Vorlage" for "Vorlauf" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Vorlage" or "Vorlauf"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Vorlage" and "Vorlauf" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Vorlage" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Vorlauf" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,809,417 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Vorlage" and "Vorlauf" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vollauf vs Vorlauf". 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 #1,809,417 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.