Which to use
“vorlesen” and “vorzulesen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,413
- “vorlesen” frequency rank
- #48,611
- “vorzulesen” frequency rank
- 61024
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorlesen | vorzulesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Schriftzeichen, Worte und Texte wahrnehmen und sprachlich laut wiedergeben; laut lesen, so dass andere es hören können | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs vorlesen |
Where the eye mixes vorlesen and vorzulesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: vorlesen vs vorzulesen
A purely visual mix-up. vorlesen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːzn̩]) and vorzulesen ([ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌleːzn̩]) 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 61024, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vorlesen is recorded at frequency rank #12,413, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌleːzn̩]. vorzulesen is at rank #48,611, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌleːzn̩].
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 61024, this pair ranks #765,132 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vorlesen vs vorzulesen
Shared letters: elnorsv. Private to "vorlesen": -. Private to "vorzulesen": uz.
"vorlesen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "vorzulesen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vorlesen ← ovrlesen · volresen · vorelsen · vorleesn · vorlesenn · vorlesne · vorlessen · vorllesen
- vorzulesen ← ovrzulesen · vorrzulesen · voruzlesen · vorzluesen · vorzuelsen · vorzuleesn · vorzulesenn · vorzulesne
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vorlesen" and "vorzulesen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "vorlesen" or "vorzulesen" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vorlesen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vorzulesen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #765,132 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorlesen" and "vorzulesen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorzulesen vs vorzuweisen". 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 #765,132 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.