Etymology

vor- +‎ tellen. Cognate with Dutch vertellen and German erzählen.

Pronunciation

• (originally) IPA^(key): /ˌfɔr'telːən/ or IPA^(key): /ˌfɔr'tɛlːən/
• The raising of /ɛ/ to /e/ might have been blocked by /lː/, hence the actual pronunciation is unknown.