vorschlagenvsvorzuschlagenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#9,297
“vorschlagen” frequency rank
#33,386
“vorzuschlagen” frequency rank
42683
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorschlagen vorzuschlagen
Definition einen Vorschlag machen; eine Empfehlung machen, die abgelehnt werden kann erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs vorschlagen

Where the eye mixes vorschlagen and vorzuschlagen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. vorschlagen runs 11 letters (CVCCCCCVCVC) against vorzuschlagen's 13 (CVCCVCCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch
vorschlagen
13 ch
vorzuschlagen

Look-alike desk: vorschlagen vs vorzuschlagen

A purely visual mix-up. vorschlagen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃlaːɡn̩]) and vorzuschlagen ([ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌʃlaːɡn̩]) 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 42683, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vorschlagen is recorded at frequency rank #9,297, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃlaːɡn̩]. vorzuschlagen is at rank #33,386, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌʃlaːɡn̩].

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 42683, this pair ranks #1,441,848 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vorschlagen vs vorzuschlagen

Shared letters: aceghlnorsv. Private to "vorschlagen": -. Private to "vorzuschlagen": uz.

"vorschlagen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCCVCVC  ·  "vorzuschlagen" · 13 letters · shape CVCCVCCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vorschlagen ← ovrschlagen · vorcshlagen · vorrschlagen · vorscchlagen · vorschalgen · vorschhlagen · vorschlaegn · vorschlagenn
  • vorzuschlagen ← ovrzuschlagen · vorrzuschlagen · voruzschlagen · vorzsuchlagen · vorzucshlagen · vorzuscchlagen · vorzuschalgen · vorzuschhlagen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vorschlagen" and "vorzuschlagen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃlaːɡn̩] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌʃlaːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "vorschlagen" vs "vorzuschlagen" - which ranks higher?
"vorschlagen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,297 in our German list, against #33,386 for "vorzuschlagen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "vorschlagen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "vorzuschlagen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,441,848 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "vorschlagen" and "vorzuschlagen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorgeschlagen vs vorzuschlagen". 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 #1,441,848 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