vorlegtevsvorletzteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vorlegte is a verb, vorletzte is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“vorlegte” is a verb and “vorletzte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#40,950
“vorlegte” frequency rank
#23,365
“vorletzte” frequency rank
64315
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorlegte vorletzte
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs vorlegen in einer Reihe oder Folge sich auf dem Platz befindend, für den es genau nur noch einen Nachfolger gibt; dem letzten vorangehend

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
vorlegte
9 ch
vorletzte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vorlegte is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːktə] while vorletzte is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌlɛt͡stə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64315, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vorlegte is recorded at frequency rank #40,950, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːktə]. vorletzte is at rank #23,365, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌlɛt͡stə].

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 64315, this pair ranks #645,883 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vorlegte vs vorletzte

Shared letters: elortv. Private to "vorlegte": g. Private to "vorletzte": z.

"vorlegte" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV  ·  "vorletzte" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vorlegteovrlegte · volregte · vorelgte · vorleget · vorleggte · vorlegtte · vorletge · vorlgete
  • vorletzteovrletzte · volretzte · voreltzte · vorlettze · vorlettzte · vorletzet · vorletztte · vorletzzte

Frequency comparison

vorlegte#40,950
vorletzte#23,365

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vorlegte" and "vorletzte" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vorlegte" is a verb and "vorletzte" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vorlegte" or "vorletzte"?
"vorletzte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,365 in our German list, against #40,950 for "vorlegte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vorlegte vs vorletzte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “vorlegte”; for an adjective, it's “vorletzte”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vorlegte” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list