vorstellevsvorstellteConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#22,559
“vorstelle” frequency rank
#24,986
“vorstellte” frequency rank
47545
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorstelle vorstellte
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs vorstellen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs vorstellen

Where the eye mixes vorstelle and vorstellte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. vorstelle runs 9 letters (CVCCCVCCV) against vorstellte's 10 (CVCCCVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
vorstelle
10 ch
vorstellte

Look-alike desk: vorstelle vs vorstellte

A purely visual mix-up. vorstelle ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃtɛlə]) and vorstellte ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃtɛltə]) 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 47545, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vorstelle is recorded at frequency rank #22,559, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃtɛlə]. vorstellte is at rank #24,986, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃtɛltə].

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 47545, this pair ranks #1,280,532 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vorstelle vs vorstellte

Shared letters: elorstv. Private to "vorstelle": -. Private to "vorstellte": -.

"vorstelle" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCV  ·  "vorstellte" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vorstelle ← ovrstelle · vorrstelle · vorsetlle · vorsstelle · vorstele · vorstelel · vorstlele · vorsttelle
  • vorstellte ← ovrstellte · vorrstellte · vorsetllte · vorsstellte · vorstellet · vorstelltte · vorstelte · vorsteltle

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "vorstelle" for "vorstellte" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃtɛlə] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃtɛltə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vorstelle" or "vorstellte"?
"vorstelle" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,559 in our German list, against #24,986 for "vorstellte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "vorstelle" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "vorstellte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,280,532 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "vorstelle" and "vorstellte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verstellt vs vorstellte". 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 #1,280,532 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