VorsatzvsVorsätzeConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#12,628
“Vorsatz” frequency rank
#31,872
“Vorsätze” frequency rank
44500
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vorsatz Vorsätze
Definition willentliche und wissentliche Herbeiführung einer Rechtsgutsverletzung oder billigende Inkaufnahme einer Rechtsgutsverletzung Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Vorsatz

Where the eye mixes Vorsatz and Vorsätze

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Vorsatz runs 7 letters (CVCCVCC) against Vorsätze's 8 (CVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Vorsatz
8 ch
Vorsätze

Look-alike desk: Vorsatz vs Vorsätze

A purely visual mix-up. Vorsatz ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzat͡s]) and Vorsätze ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzɛt͡sə]) 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 44500, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Vorsatz is recorded at frequency rank #12,628, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzat͡s]. Vorsätze is at rank #31,872, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzɛt͡sə].

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 44500, this pair ranks #1,384,216 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Vorsatz vs Vorsätze

Shared letters: orstvz. Private to "Vorsatz": a. Private to "Vorsätze": .

"Vorsatz" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "Vorsätze" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Vorsatzovrsatz · vorastz · vorrsatz · vorsattz · vorsatzz · vorsazt · vorssatz · vorstaz

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Vorsatz" for "Vorsätze" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzat͡s] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzɛt͡sə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Vorsatz" or "Vorsätze" show up more?
"Vorsatz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,628 in our German list, against #31,872 for "Vorsätze". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "Vorsatz" and "Vorsätze" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Vorsatz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Vorsätze" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,384,216 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Vorsatz" and "Vorsätze" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorhatte vs Vorsätze". 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 #1,384,216 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