viertvsvierterWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#25,821
“viert” frequency rank
#10,965
“vierter” frequency rank
36786
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature viert vierter
Definition mit mit einer Gruppe aus vier Individuen etwas machen unbestimmte männliche Deklination von vierte

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
viert
7 ch
vierter

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: viert is [fiːɐ̯t] while vierter is [ˈfiːɐ̯tɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “viert” sits inside “vierter”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs unknown), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36786, 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]. vierter is at rank #10,965, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [ˈfiːɐ̯tɐ].

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 36786, this pair ranks #1,606,717 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of viert vs vierter

Shared letters: eirtv. Private to "viert": -. Private to "vierter": -.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • viertivert · veirt · vierrt · viertt · vietr · viret · vviert
  • vierteriverter · veirter · vieretr · vierrter · vierterr · viertre · viertter · vietrer

Frequency comparison

viert#25,821
vierter#10,965

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "viert" and "vierter" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "viert" is a num and "vierter" an unknown, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "viert" or "vierter"?
"vierter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,965 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 vierter

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “viert”; for an unknown, it's “vierter”.
  • 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