fünftevsfünfterWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: fünfte is a num, fünfter is an unknown, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“fünfte” is a num and “fünfter” is an unknown - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#6,062
“fünfte” frequency rank
#15,631
“fünfter” frequency rank
21693
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fünfte fünfter
Definition nach dem beziehungsweise der vierten kommend; dem, der beziehungsweise des sechsten vorausgehend unbestimmte männliche Deklination von fünfte

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fünfte and fünfter apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
fünfte
7 ch
fünfter

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

fünfte and fünfter form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “fünfte” sits inside “fünfter” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21693, 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]. fünfter is at rank #15,631, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [ˈfʏnftɐ].

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 21693, this pair ranks #1,883,238 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

fünfte#6,062
fünfter#15,631

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fünfte" and "fünfter" be used interchangeably?
No, "fünfte" and "fünfter" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering fünfte vs fünfter

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “fünfte”; for an unknown, it's “fünfter”.
  • 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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list