vorlegenvsvorlesenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,827
“vorlegen” frequency rank
#12,413
“vorlesen” frequency rank
25240
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorlegen vorlesen
Definition etwas herausholen und öffentlich präsentieren Schriftzeichen, Worte und Texte wahrnehmen und sprachlich laut wiedergeben; laut lesen, so dass andere es hören können

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vorlegen and vorlesen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
vorlegen
8 ch
vorlesen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. vorlegen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːɡn̩]) and vorlesen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːzn̩]) 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 a single letter - g in “vorlegen” becomes s in “vorlesen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25240, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vorlegen is recorded at frequency rank #12,827, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːɡn̩]. vorlesen is at rank #12,413, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːzn̩].

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 25240, this pair ranks #1,836,135 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vorlegen vs vorlesen

Shared letters: elnorv. Private to "vorlegen": g. Private to "vorlesen": s.

"vorlegen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "vorlesen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vorlegenovrlegen · volregen · vorelgen · vorleegn · vorlegenn · vorleggen · vorlegne · vorlgeen
  • vorlesenovrlesen · volresen · vorelsen · vorleesn · vorlesenn · vorlesne · vorlessen · vorllesen

Frequency comparison

vorlegen#12,827
vorlesen#12,413

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vorlegen" and "vorlesen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːɡn̩] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːzn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vorlegen" or "vorlesen"?
"vorlesen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,413 in our German list, against #12,827 for "vorlegen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vorlegen vs vorlesen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vorlegen” 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