vorlegenvsvorliegenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#12,827
“vorlegen” frequency rank
#5,131
“vorliegen” frequency rank
17958
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorlegen vorliegen
Definition etwas herausholen und öffentlich präsentieren physisch an einem Ort vorhanden sein

Where the eye mixes vorlegen and vorliegen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. vorlegen runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against vorliegen's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
vorlegen
9 ch
vorliegen

Look-alike desk: vorlegen vs vorliegen

A purely visual mix-up. vorlegen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːɡn̩]) and vorliegen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌliːɡn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17958, 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]. vorliegen is at rank #5,131, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌliːɡn̩].

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 17958, this pair ranks #1,922,707 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vorlegen vs vorliegen

Shared letters: eglnorv. Private to "vorlegen": -. Private to "vorliegen": i.

"vorlegen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "vorliegen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vorlegenovrlegen · volregen · vorelgen · vorleegn · vorlegenn · vorleggen · vorlegne · vorlgeen
  • vorliegenovrliegen · volriegen · vorilegen · vorleigen · vorlieegn · vorliegenn · vorlieggen · vorliegne

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "vorlegen" and "vorliegen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːɡn̩] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌliːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "vorlegen" or "vorliegen" show up more?
"vorliegen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,131 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.

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 "vorlegen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "vorliegen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,922,707 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "vorlegen" and "vorliegen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorgelegen vs vorlegen". 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 #1,922,707 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