Which to use
“fünfte” is a num and “fünftel” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,062
- “fünfte” frequency rank
- #18,551
- “fünftel” frequency rank
- 24613
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fünfte | fünftel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nach dem beziehungsweise der vierten kommend; dem, der beziehungsweise des sechsten vorausgehend | aus einem von fünf gleich großen Teilen bestehend |
Where the eye mixes fünfte and fünftel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. fünfte runs 6 letters (CVCCCV) against fünftel's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: fünfte vs fünftel
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fünfte is [ˈfʏnftə] while fünftel is [ˈfʏnftl̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “fünfte” 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 24613, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fünfte is recorded at frequency rank #6,062, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈfʏnftə]. 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 24613, this pair ranks #1,845,162 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fünfte vs fünftel
Shared letters: efntü. Private to "fünfte": -. Private to "fünftel": l.
"fünfte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "fünftel" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fünfte" and "fünftel" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "fünfte" or "fünftel"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fünfte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fünftel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,845,162 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fünfte" and "fünftel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fünft vs fünftel". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,845,162 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.