Which to use
“vorzugehen” and “vorzunehmen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,456
- “vorzugehen” frequency rank
- #12,414
- “vorzunehmen” frequency rank
- 26870
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vorzugehen | vorzunehmen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs vorgehen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs vornehmen |
Where the eye mixes vorzugehen and vorzunehmen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. vorzugehen runs 10 letters (CVCCVCVCVC) against vorzunehmen's 11 (CVCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: vorzugehen vs vorzunehmen
A purely visual mix-up. vorzugehen ([ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌɡeːən]) and vorzunehmen ([ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌneːmən]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26870, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vorzugehen is recorded at frequency rank #14,456, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌɡeːən]. vorzunehmen is at rank #12,414, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌneːmən].
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 26870, this pair ranks #1,811,086 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vorzugehen vs vorzunehmen
Shared letters: ehnoruvz. Private to "vorzugehen": g. Private to "vorzunehmen": m.
"vorzugehen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC · "vorzunehmen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vorzugehen ← ovrzugehen · vorrzugehen · voruzgehen · vorzguehen · vorzueghen · vorzugeehn · vorzugehenn · vorzugehhen
- vorzunehmen ← ovrzunehmen · vorrzunehmen · voruznehmen · vorznuehmen · vorzuenhmen · vorzunehemn · vorzunehhmen · vorzunehmenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vorzugehen" for "vorzunehmen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "vorzugehen" or "vorzunehmen"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vorzugehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vorzunehmen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,811,086 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vorzugehen" and "vorzunehmen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorzugehen vs vorzulesen". 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 #1,811,086 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.