Which to use
“fünft” is a num and “fünftel” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #41,828
- “fünft” frequency rank
- #18,551
- “fünftel” frequency rank
- 60379
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fünft | fünftel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit mit einer Gruppe aus fünf Individuen etwas machen | aus einem von fünf gleich großen Teilen bestehend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fünft and fünftel apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fünft is [fʏnft] while fünftel is [ˈfʏnftl̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “fünft” sits inside “fünftel”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60379, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fünft is recorded at frequency rank #41,828, classified as anum, pronounced [fʏnft]. fünftel is at rank #18,551, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfʏnftl̩].
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 60379, this pair ranks #789,220 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fünft vs fünftel
Shared letters: fntü. Private to "fünft": -. Private to "fünftel": el.
"fünft" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "fünftel" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fünft" and "fünftel" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fünft" or "fünftel"?
Remembering fünft vs fünftel
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “fünft”; for an adjective, it's “fünftel”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fünft” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable