ordernvsOrtenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ordern is a verb, Orten is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ordern” is a verb and “Orten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#37,714
“ordern” frequency rank
#3,064
“Orten” frequency rank
40778
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ordern Orten
Definition einen Auftrag (eine Order) erteilen; etwas bestellen Dativ Plural des Substantivs Ort

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ordern and Orten apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
ordern
5 ch
Orten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ordern is [ˈɔʁdɐn] while Orten is [ˈɔʁtn̩]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40778, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ordern is recorded at frequency rank #37,714, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɔʁdɐn]. Orten is at rank #3,064, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɔʁtn̩].

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 40778, this pair ranks #1,498,565 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ordern vs Orten

Shared letters: enor. Private to "ordern": d. Private to "Orten": t.

"ordern" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "Orten" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ordernodrern · orddern · ordernn · orderrn · ordren · oredrn · orrdern · rodern
  • Ortenoretn · orrten · ortenn · ortne · ortten · otren

Frequency comparison

ordern#37,714
Orten#3,064

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ordern" and "Orten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ordern" is a verb and "Orten" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ordern" or "Orten"?
"Orten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,064 in our German list, against #37,714 for "ordern". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering ordern vs Orten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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