Which to use
“vorläufig” and “vorläufigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,965
- “vorläufig” frequency rank
- #12,828
- “vorläufigen” frequency rank
- 21793
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorläufig | vorläufigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht endgültig, bis zu einer späteren Festlegung gültig | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs vorläufig |
Where the eye mixes vorläufig and vorläufigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. vorläufig runs 9 letters (CVCCVVCVC) against vorläufigen's 11 (CVCCVVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between vorläufig and vorläufigen
A purely visual mix-up. vorläufig ([ˈfoːɐ̯lɔɪ̯fɪç]) and vorläufigen ([ˈfoːɐ̯lɔɪ̯fɪɡn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “vorläufig” sits inside “vorläufigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21793, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vorläufig is recorded at frequency rank #8,965, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯lɔɪ̯fɪç]. vorläufigen is at rank #12,828, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯lɔɪ̯fɪɡn̩].
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 21793, this pair ranks #1,882,084 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vorläufig vs vorläufigen
Shared letters: fgiloruvä. Private to "vorläufig": -. Private to "vorläufigen": en.
"vorläufig" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC · "vorläufigen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vorläufig" for "vorläufigen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "vorläufig" or "vorläufigen" 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 "vorläufig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vorläufigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,882,084 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorläufig" and "vorläufigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorläufigen vs vorläufiger". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,882,084 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.