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 spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fünfte and fünftel apart are highlighted. They share 6 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: 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
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fünfte" and "fünftel" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fünfte" or "fünftel"?
Remembering fünfte vs fünftel
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “fünfte”; for an adjective, it's “fünftel”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fünfte” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable