viertevsViertelsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vierte is a num, Viertels is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“vierte” is a num and “Viertels” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,692
“vierte” frequency rank
#30,853
“Viertels” frequency rank
34545
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vierte Viertels
Definition nach dem beziehungsweise der Dritten kommend; dem beziehungsweise der Fünften vorausgehend Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Viertel

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
vierte
8 ch
Viertels

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vierte is [ˈfiːɐ̯tə] while Viertels is [ˈfɪʁtl̩s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “vierte” sits inside “Viertels”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34545, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vierte is recorded at frequency rank #3,692, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈfiːɐ̯tə]. Viertels is at rank #30,853, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɪʁtl̩s].

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 34545, this pair ranks #1,660,857 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vierte vs Viertels

Shared letters: eirtv. Private to "vierte": -. Private to "Viertels": ls.

"vierte" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV  ·  "Viertels" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vierteiverte · veirte · vieret · vierrte · viertte · vietre · virete · vvierte
  • Viertelsivertels · veirtels · vieretls · vierrtels · viertells · viertelss · viertesl · viertles

Frequency comparison

vierte#3,692
Viertels#30,853

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vierte" and "Viertels" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vierte" is a num and "Viertels" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vierte" or "Viertels"?
"vierte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,692 in our German list, against #30,853 for "Viertels". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vierte vs Viertels

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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