VorteilvsVorurteilWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,000
“Vorteil” frequency rank
#20,781
“Vorurteil” frequency rank
22781
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vorteil Vorurteil
Definition positiver Aspekt oder Effekt einer Sache voreilig gebildete, oft falsche Meinung über jemanden oder etwas, das nicht auf Erfahrungen oder Wissen beruht und meist mit Abneigung oder Hass verbunden ist; Urteil vor oder ohne Kenntnis des einzelnen Beurteilten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Vorteil and Vorurteil apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Vorteil
9 ch
Vorurteil

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Vorteil ([ˈfɔʁˌtaɪ̯l]) and Vorurteil ([ˈfoːɐ̯ʔʊʁˌtaɪ̯l]) 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 22781, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Vorteil is recorded at frequency rank #2,000, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɔʁˌtaɪ̯l]. Vorurteil is at rank #20,781, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ʔʊʁˌtaɪ̯l].

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 22781, this pair ranks #1,869,840 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Vorteil vs Vorurteil

Shared letters: eilortv. Private to "Vorteil": -. Private to "Vorurteil": u.

"Vorteil" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "Vorurteil" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Vorteilovrteil · voretil · vorrteil · vorteill · vorteli · vortiel · vortteil · votreil
  • Vorurteilovrurteil · vorrurteil · vorruteil · voruretil · vorurrteil · vorurteill · vorurteli · vorurtiel

Frequency comparison

Vorteil#2,000
Vorurteil#20,781

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Vorteil" and "Vorurteil" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɔʁˌtaɪ̯l] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ʔʊʁˌtaɪ̯l]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Vorteil" or "Vorurteil"?
"Vorteil" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,000 in our German list, against #20,781 for "Vorurteil". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Vorteil vs Vorurteil

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Vorteil” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list