fünfzigvsFünfzigerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: fünfzig is a num, Fünfziger is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“fünfzig” is a num and “Fünfziger” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,286
“fünfzig” frequency rank
#28,199
“Fünfziger” frequency rank
40485
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fünfzig Fünfziger
Definition fünf mal zehn, die Kardinalzahl zwischen 49 und 51 (siehe auch vierzig und sechzig) ein Geldschein oder seltener eine Münze mit dem Wert 50 Währungseinheiten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fünfzig and Fünfziger apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
fünfzig
9 ch
Fünfziger

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

fünfzig and Fünfziger 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 2 extra letter(s) - “fünfzig” sits inside “Fünfziger” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40485, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fünfzig is recorded at frequency rank #12,286, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈfʏnft͡sɪç]. Fünfziger is at rank #28,199, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfʏnft͡sɪɡɐ].

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 40485, this pair ranks #1,507,089 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

fünfzig#12,286
Fünfziger#28,199

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fünfzig" and "Fünfziger" be used interchangeably?
No, "fünfzig" and "Fünfziger" 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 fünfzig vs Fünfziger

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “fünfzig”; for a noun, it's “Fünfziger”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fünfzig” 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