vorzeichnen

[ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯çnən]

/[ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯çnən]/ verb

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - (zuerst) die Umrisse einer Form, das Wesentliche skizzieren

Corpus desk

Index DE-vorzeichnen · vorzeichnen · German

vorzeichnen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 vorzeichnen
PropertyValue
Headwordvorzeichnen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯çnən]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „vorzeichnen“ im Deutschen

vorzeichnenliegt 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

vorzeichnen is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯çnən]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

vorzeichnen doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is vorzeichnen, spelled V-O-R-Z-E-I-C-H-N-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    (zuerst) die Umrisse einer Form, das Wesentliche skizzieren
  2. 2
    jemand anderem vormachen, wie eine Zeichnung entsteht, meist, damit dieser es nachmachen/nachzeichnen kann
  3. 3
    im Vorwege beeinflussen/bestimmen
  4. 4
    ein Zeichen zuweisen, das die Tonart festlegt

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Beim Nähen einer geschwungenen Linie auf einem großen Quilt ist es sinnvoll, die Kurve vorzuzeichnen.
  2. Das Gesicht wird auf der Wand vorgezeichnet, und dann malen es die Kinder mit Dispersionsfarbe aus.

Antonyms

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 "vorzeichnen"?
"vorzeichnen" is spelled V-O-R-Z-E-I-C-H-N-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯çnən].
What does "vorzeichnen" mean?
As a verb, "vorzeichnen" means: (zuerst) die Umrisse einer Form, das Wesentliche skizzieren
How do you pronounce "vorzeichnen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vorzeichnen" is [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌt͡saɪ̯çnən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "vorzeichnen" come from?
"vorzeichnen" 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