Which to use
“vorstellen” and “vorstellte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,145
- “vorstellen” frequency rank
- #24,986
- “vorstellte” frequency rank
- 26131
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorstellen | vorstellte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas nach vorne stellen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs vorstellen |
Where the eye mixes vorstellen and vorstellte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. vorstellen (CVCCCVCCVC) and vorstellte (CVCCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between vorstellen and vorstellte
A purely visual mix-up. vorstellen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃtɛlən]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26131, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vorstellen is recorded at frequency rank #1,145, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃtɛlən]. 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 26131, this pair ranks #1,822,682 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vorstellen vs vorstellte
Shared letters: elorstv. Private to "vorstellen": n. Private to "vorstellte": -.
"vorstellen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC · "vorstellte" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- vorstellen ← ovrstellen · vorrstellen · vorsetllen · vorsstellen · vorsteleln · vorstelen · vorstellenn · vorstellne
- vorstellte ← ovrstellte · vorrstellte · vorsetllte · vorsstellte · vorstellet · vorstelltte · vorstelte · vorsteltle
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vorstellen" and "vorstellte" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "vorstellen" or "vorstellte" 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 "vorstellen" 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 #1,822,682 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorstellen" 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 #1,822,682 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.