vorlegenvsvorzulegenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#12,827
“vorlegen” frequency rank
#19,446
“vorzulegen” frequency rank
32273
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorlegen vorzulegen
Definition etwas herausholen und öffentlich präsentieren erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs vorlegen

Where the eye mixes vorlegen and vorzulegen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. vorlegen runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against vorzulegen's 10 (CVCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
vorlegen
10 ch
vorzulegen

Visual trap between vorlegen and vorzulegen

A purely visual mix-up. vorlegen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːɡn̩]) and vorzulegen ([ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌleːɡn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32273, 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]. vorzulegen is at rank #19,446, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌleːɡn̩].

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 32273, this pair ranks #1,711,138 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vorlegen vs vorzulegen

Shared letters: eglnorv. Private to "vorlegen": -. Private to "vorzulegen": uz.

"vorlegen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "vorzulegen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vorlegen ← ovrlegen · volregen · vorelgen · vorleegn · vorlegenn · vorleggen · vorlegne · vorlgeen
  • vorzulegen ← ovrzulegen · vorrzulegen · voruzlegen · vorzluegen · vorzuelgen · vorzuleegn · vorzulegenn · vorzuleggen

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "vorlegen" and "vorzulegen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːɡn̩] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌleːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "vorlegen" vs "vorzulegen" - which ranks higher?
"vorlegen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,827 in our German list, against #19,446 for "vorzulegen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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 "vorzulegen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,711,138 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "vorlegen" and "vorzulegen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorzulegen vs vorzulesen". 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 #1,711,138 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