fünftvsFunkeConfusable pair

Quick tell: fünft is a num, Funke is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“fünft” is a num and “Funke” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#41,828
“fünft” frequency rank
#15,361
“Funke” frequency rank
57189
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fünft Funke
Definition mit mit einer Gruppe aus fünf Individuen etwas machen kleines, in der Luft verbrennendes glühendes Teilchen

Where the eye mixes fünft and Funke

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

5 ch
fünft
5 ch
Funke

Look-alike desk: fünft vs Funke

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fünft is [fʏnft] while Funke is [ˈfʊŋkə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57189, 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]. Funke is at rank #15,361, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfʊŋkə].

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 57189, this pair ranks #911,036 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of fünft vs Funke

Shared letters: fn. Private to "fünft": . Private to "Funke": eku.

"fünft" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "Funke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Funkeffunke · fnuke · fukne · funek · funkke · funnke · ufnke

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fünft" and "Funke" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fünft" is a num and "Funke" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "fünft" or "Funke"?
"Funke" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,361 in our German list, against #41,828 for "fünft". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "fünft" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Funke" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #911,036 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "fünft" and "Funke" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fünft 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 #911,036 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list