viertvsviertenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: viert is a num, vierten is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“viert” is a num and “vierten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#25,821
“viert” frequency rank
#2,865
“vierten” frequency rank
28686
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature viert vierten
Definition mit mit einer Gruppe aus vier Individuen etwas machen Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs vierte

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set viert and vierten apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
viert
7 ch
vierten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: viert is [fiːɐ̯t] while vierten is [ˈfiːɐ̯tn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “viert” sits inside “vierten”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28686, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

viert is recorded at frequency rank #25,821, classified as anum, pronounced [fiːɐ̯t]. vierten is at rank #2,865, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfiːɐ̯tn̩].

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 28686, this pair ranks #1,780,368 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of viert vs vierten

Shared letters: eirtv. Private to "viert": -. Private to "vierten": n.

"viert" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC  ·  "vierten" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • viertivert · veirt · vierrt · viertt · vietr · viret · vviert
  • vierteniverten · veirten · vieretn · vierrten · viertenn · viertne · viertten · vietren

Frequency comparison

viert#25,821
vierten#2,865

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "viert" and "vierten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "viert" is a num and "vierten" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "viert" or "vierten"?
"vierten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,865 in our German list, against #25,821 for "viert". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering viert vs vierten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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