vorstelltvsvorstellteWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#12,829
“vorstellt” frequency rank
#24,986
“vorstellte” frequency rank
37815
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorstellt vorstellte
Definition 3. 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 vorstellt and vorstellte

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

9 ch
vorstellt
10 ch
vorstellte

Why the eye confuses vorstellt with vorstellte

A purely visual mix-up. vorstellt ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃtɛlt]) 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 extra letter(s) - “vorstellt” sits inside “vorstellte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37815, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vorstellt is recorded at frequency rank #12,829, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃtɛlt]. 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 37815, this pair ranks #1,580,355 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vorstellt vs vorstellte

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

"vorstellt" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCC  ·  "vorstellte" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vorstellt ← ovrstellt · vorrstellt · vorsetllt · vorsstellt · vorstelltt · vorstelt · vorsteltl · vorstlelt
  • vorstellte ← ovrstellte · vorrstellte · vorsetllte · vorsstellte · vorstellet · vorstelltte · vorstelte · vorsteltle

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vorstellt" and "vorstellte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃtɛlt] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃtɛltə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "vorstellt" or "vorstellte" show up more?
"vorstellt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,829 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.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "vorstellt" 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 #1,580,355 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "vorstellt" and "vorstellte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorbestellt vs vorstellt". 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 #1,580,355 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