Which to use
“vornehmen” and “vorzunehmen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,130
- “vornehmen” frequency rank
- #12,414
- “vorzunehmen” frequency rank
- 19544
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vornehmen | vorzunehmen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas selbst ausführen oder stattfinden lassen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs vornehmen |
Where the eye mixes vornehmen and vorzunehmen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. vornehmen runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against vorzunehmen's 11 (CVCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses vornehmen with vorzunehmen
A purely visual mix-up. vornehmen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌneːmən]) and vorzunehmen ([ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌneːmən]) 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 19544, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vornehmen is recorded at frequency rank #7,130, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌneːmən]. vorzunehmen is at rank #12,414, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌneːmən].
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 19544, this pair ranks #1,907,232 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vornehmen vs vorzunehmen
Shared letters: ehmnorv. Private to "vornehmen": -. Private to "vorzunehmen": uz.
"vornehmen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "vorzunehmen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vornehmen ← ovrnehmen · vonrehmen · vorenhmen · vornehemn · vornehhmen · vornehmenn · vornehmmen · vornehmne
- vorzunehmen ← ovrzunehmen · vorrzunehmen · voruznehmen · vorznuehmen · vorzuenhmen · vorzunehemn · vorzunehhmen · vorzunehmenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vornehmen" for "vorzunehmen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "vornehmen" or "vorzunehmen" show up more?
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 "vornehmen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vorzunehmen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,907,232 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vornehmen" and "vorzunehmen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vornehme vs vornehmen". 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 #1,907,232 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.