ViersenvsvierzehnWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Viersen is a name, vierzehn is a num, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Viersen” is a name and “vierzehn” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#22,954
“Viersen” frequency rank
#11,779
“vierzehn” frequency rank
34733
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Viersen vierzehn
Definition eine Stadt in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Deutschland die Kardinalzahl zwischen dreizehn und fünfzehn

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Viersen and vierzehn apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Viersen
8 ch
vierzehn

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Viersen is [ˈfiːɐ̯zn̩] while vierzehn is [ˈfɪʁt͡seːn]. 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 (name vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34733, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Viersen is recorded at frequency rank #22,954, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈfiːɐ̯zn̩]. vierzehn is at rank #11,779, tagged as anum, pronounced [ˈfɪʁt͡seːn].

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 34733, this pair ranks #1,656,587 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Viersen vs vierzehn

Shared letters: einrv. Private to "Viersen": s. Private to "vierzehn": hz.

"Viersen" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC  ·  "vierzehn" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Vierseniversen · veirsen · vieresn · vierrsen · viersenn · viersne · vierssen · viesren
  • vierzehniverzehn · veirzehn · vierezhn · vierrzehn · vierzehhn · vierzehnn · vierzenh · vierzhen

Frequency comparison

Viersen#22,954
vierzehn#11,779

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Viersen" and "vierzehn" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Viersen" is a name and "vierzehn" a num, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Viersen" or "vierzehn"?
"vierzehn" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,779 in our German list, against #22,954 for "Viersen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Viersen vs vierzehn

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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