Which to use
“number” and “Nummer” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,660
- “number” frequency rank
- #1,089
- “Nummer” frequency rank
- 20749
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | number | Nummer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nummer, Zahl | einem (nummerierten) Gegenstand oder einer (nummerierten) Person zugeordnete Zahl, die die Position in einer Reihenfolge ausdrückt (logisch eine Ordnungszahl, sprachlich aber eine Kardinalzahl) |
Where the eye mixes number and Nummer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses number with Nummer
A purely visual mix-up. number ([ˈnʌmbə(r)]) and Nummer ([ˈnʊmɐ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - b in “number” becomes m in “Nummer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20749, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
number is recorded at frequency rank #19,660, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈnʌmbə(r)]. Nummer is at rank #1,089, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnʊmɐ].
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 20749, this pair ranks #1,894,184 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of number vs Nummer
Shared letters: emnru. Private to "number": b. Private to "Nummer": -.
"number" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Nummer" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "number" for "Nummer" ever safe?
Frequency check: "number" vs "Nummer" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "number" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Nummer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,894,184 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "number" and "Nummer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "number vs numbers". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,894,184 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.