VorzeichenvsvorzeigenWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: Vorzeichen is a noun, vorzeigen is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Vorzeichen” is a noun and “vorzeigen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#17,463
“Vorzeichen” frequency rank
#33,899
“vorzeigen” frequency rank
51362
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vorzeichen vorzeigen
Definition ein Anzeichen, das auf etwas Künftiges hindeutet jemandem etwas zur Begutachtung oder Prüfung präsentieren/vorlegen

Where the eye mixes Vorzeichen and vorzeigen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Vorzeichen runs 10 letters (CVCCVVCCVC) against vorzeigen's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
Vorzeichen
9 ch
vorzeigen

Look-alike desk: Vorzeichen vs vorzeigen

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Vorzeichen is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯çn̩] while vorzeigen is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51362, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Vorzeichen is recorded at frequency rank #17,463, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯çn̩]. vorzeigen is at rank #33,899, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯ɡn̩].

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 51362, this pair ranks #1,138,430 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Vorzeichen vs vorzeigen

Shared letters: einorvz. Private to "Vorzeichen": ch. Private to "vorzeigen": g.

"Vorzeichen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCCVC  ·  "vorzeigen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Vorzeichenovrzeichen · vorezichen · vorrzeichen · vorzecihen · vorzeicchen · vorzeicehn · vorzeichenn · vorzeichhen
  • vorzeigenovrzeigen · vorezigen · vorrzeigen · vorzegien · vorzeiegn · vorzeigenn · vorzeiggen · vorzeigne

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Vorzeichen" and "vorzeigen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Vorzeichen" is a noun and "vorzeigen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "Vorzeichen" vs "vorzeigen" - which ranks higher?
"Vorzeichen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,463 in our German list, against #33,899 for "vorzeigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Vorzeichen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "vorzeigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,138,430 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Vorzeichen" and "vorzeigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorzeigen vs Vorzügen". 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 #1,138,430 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