Which to use
“vorstellen” and “vorzustellen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,145
- “vorstellen” frequency rank
- #8,653
- “vorzustellen” frequency rank
- 9798
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorstellen | vorzustellen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas nach vorne stellen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs vorstellen |
Where the eye mixes vorstellen and vorzustellen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. vorstellen runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCCVC) against vorzustellen's 12 (CVCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses vorstellen with vorzustellen
A purely visual mix-up. vorstellen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃtɛlən]) and vorzustellen ([ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌʃtɛlən]) 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 9798, 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]. vorzustellen is at rank #8,653, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌʃtɛlən].
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 9798, this pair ranks #1,978,252 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vorstellen vs vorzustellen
Shared letters: elnorstv. Private to "vorstellen": -. Private to "vorzustellen": uz.
"vorstellen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC · "vorzustellen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vorstellen ← ovrstellen · vorrstellen · vorsetllen · vorsstellen · vorsteleln · vorstelen · vorstellenn · vorstellne
- vorzustellen ← ovrzustellen · vorrzustellen · voruzstellen · vorzsutellen · vorzusetllen · vorzusstellen · vorzusteleln · vorzustelen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vorstellen" for "vorzustellen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "vorstellen" or "vorzustellen" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "vorstellen" and "vorzustellen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "vorstellen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vorzustellen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,978,252 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorstellen" and "vorzustellen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verstellen vs vorstellen". 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 #1,978,252 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.