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 eye mixes fünfte and fünfter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. fünfte runs 6 letters (CVCCCV) against fünfter's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: fünfte vs fünfter
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fünfte is [ˈfʏnftə] while fünfter is [ˈfʏnftɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “fünfte” sits inside “fünfter”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs unknown), which is usually the fastest check. 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.
Orthographic DNA of fünfte vs fünfter
Shared letters: efntü. Private to "fünfte": -. Private to "fünfter": r.
"fünfte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "fünfter" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fünfte" for "fünfter" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "fünfte" or "fünfter" show up more?
After this comparison
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 "fünfter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,883,238 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fünfte" and "fünfter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fünft vs fünfter". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,883,238 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.