viertelvsviertesWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#2,864
“viertel” frequency rank
#21,836
“viertes” frequency rank
24700
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature viertel viertes
Definition 25 Prozent des Gesamtwertes unbestimmte neutrale Deklination von vierte

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
viertel
7 ch
viertes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: viertel is [ˈfɪʁtl̩] while viertes is [ˈfiːɐ̯təs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - l in “viertel” becomes s in “viertes”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs unknown), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24700, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

viertel is recorded at frequency rank #2,864, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈfɪʁtl̩]. viertes is at rank #21,836, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [ˈfiːɐ̯təs].

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 24700, this pair ranks #1,843,968 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of viertel vs viertes

Shared letters: eirtv. Private to "viertel": l. Private to "viertes": s.

"viertel" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC  ·  "viertes" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • viertelivertel · veirtel · vieretl · vierrtel · viertell · viertle · vierttel · vietrel
  • viertesivertes · veirtes · vierets · vierrtes · viertess · viertse · vierttes · vietres

Frequency comparison

viertel#2,864
viertes#21,836

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "viertel" and "viertes" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "viertel" is a num and "viertes" an unknown, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "viertel" or "viertes"?
"viertel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,864 in our German list, against #21,836 for "viertes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering viertel vs viertes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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