Which to use
“vorlegen” and “vorzeigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,827
- “vorlegen” frequency rank
- #33,899
- “vorzeigen” frequency rank
- 46726
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorlegen | vorzeigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas herausholen und öffentlich präsentieren | jemandem etwas zur Begutachtung oder Prüfung präsentieren/vorlegen |
Where the eye mixes vorlegen and vorzeigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. vorlegen runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against vorzeigen's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses vorlegen with vorzeigen
A purely visual mix-up. vorlegen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːɡn̩]) and vorzeigen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩]) 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 46726, 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]. vorzeigen is at rank #33,899, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩].
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 46726, this pair ranks #1,309,099 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vorlegen vs vorzeigen
Shared letters: egnorv. Private to "vorlegen": l. Private to "vorzeigen": iz.
"vorlegen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "vorzeigen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "vorlegen" and "vorzeigen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "vorlegen" or "vorzeigen"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vorlegen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vorzeigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,309,099 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorlegen" and "vorzeigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorzeigen vs Vorzügen". 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 #1,309,099 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.