Which to use
“fünf” is a num and “funkt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #442
- “fünf” frequency rank
- #45,288
- “funkt” frequency rank
- 45730
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fünf | funkt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | fünf, die Kardinalzahl zwischen vier und sechs | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs funken |
Where the eye mixes fünf and funkt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between fünf and funkt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fünf is [fʏnf] while funkt is [fʊŋkt]. 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 (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45730, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fünf is recorded at frequency rank #442, classified as anum, pronounced [fʏnf]. funkt is at rank #45,288, tagged as averb, pronounced [fʊŋkt].
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 45730, this pair ranks #1,343,123 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fünf vs funkt
Shared letters: fn. Private to "fünf": ü. Private to "funkt": ktu.
"fünf" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "funkt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- funkt ← ffunkt · fnukt · fuknt · funkkt · funktt · funnkt · funtk · ufnkt
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fünf" for "funkt" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "fünf" or "funkt" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fünf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "funkt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,343,123 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fünf" and "funkt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "funkt vs funzt". 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 #1,343,123 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.