Which to use
“fünfte” is a num and “fünften” is an unknown - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,062
- “fünfte” frequency rank
- #4,432
- “fünften” frequency rank
- 10494
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fünfte | fünften |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nach dem beziehungsweise der vierten kommend; dem, der beziehungsweise des sechsten vorausgehend | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum des Numerals fünfte |
Where the eye mixes fünfte and fünften
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. fünfte runs 6 letters (CVCCCV) against fünften's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses fünfte with fünften
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fünfte is [ˈfʏnftə] while fünften is [ˈfʏnftn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “fünfte” sits inside “fünften”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs unknown), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10494, 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]. fünften is at rank #4,432, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [ˈfʏnftn̩].
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 10494, this pair ranks #1,974,860 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fünfte vs fünften
Shared letters: efntü. Private to "fünfte": -. Private to "fünften": -.
"fünfte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "fünften" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fünfte" and "fünften" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "fünfte" vs "fünften" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fünfte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fünften" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,974,860 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fünfte" and "fünften" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fünfte vs funzt". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,974,860 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.