Which to use
“fünften” is an unknown and “fünfzehn” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,432
- “fünften” frequency rank
- #11,876
- “fünfzehn” frequency rank
- 16308
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fünften | fünfzehn |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum des Numerals fünfte | die Kardinalzahl zwischen vierzehn und sechzehn |
Where the eye mixes fünften and fünfzehn
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. fünften runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against fünfzehn's 8 (CVCCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses fünften with fünfzehn
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fünften is [ˈfʏnftn̩] while fünfzehn is [ˈfʏnft͡seːn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (unknown vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16308, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fünften is recorded at frequency rank #4,432, classified as anunknown, pronounced [ˈfʏnftn̩]. fünfzehn is at rank #11,876, tagged as anum, pronounced [ˈfʏnft͡seːn].
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 16308, this pair ranks #1,936,910 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fünften vs fünfzehn
Shared letters: efnü. Private to "fünften": t. Private to "fünfzehn": hz.
"fünften" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "fünfzehn" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fünften" for "fünfzehn" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "fünften" or "fünfzehn" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fünften" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fünfzehn" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,936,910 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fünften" and "fünfzehn" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fügten vs fünften". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,936,910 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.