von vornherein

[fɔn ˈfɔʁnhɛˌʁaɪ̯n]

/[fɔn ˈfɔʁnhɛˌʁaɪ̯n]/ phrase

The verdict

“von vornherein” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - schon zu Beginn

Corpus desk

Index DE-von-vornherein · von vornherein · German

von vornherein · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "V" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for von vornherein
PropertyValue
Headwordvon vornherein
LanguageGerman
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[fɔn ˈfɔʁnhɛˌʁaɪ̯n]
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „von vornherein“ im Deutschen

von vornhereinliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

von vornherein is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed [fɔn ˈfɔʁnhɛˌʁaɪ̯n]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "schon zu Beginn".

von vornherein doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is von vornherein, spelled V-O-N- -V-O-R-N-H-E-R-E-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    schon zu Beginn

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how von vornherein appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Damit das von vornherein klar ist: Ich bin der Boss und sage, wo es lang geht.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "von vornherein"?
"von vornherein" is spelled V-O-N- -V-O-R-N-H-E-R-E-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is [fɔn ˈfɔʁnhɛˌʁaɪ̯n].
What does "von vornherein" mean?
As a phrase, "von vornherein" means: schon zu Beginn
How do you pronounce "von vornherein"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "von vornherein" is [fɔn ˈfɔʁnhɛˌʁaɪ̯n]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "von vornherein" come from?
"von vornherein" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list