ViertelnvsviertenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#24,565
“Vierteln” frequency rank
#2,865
“vierten” frequency rank
27430
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vierteln vierten
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Viertel Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs vierte

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Vierteln and vierten apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
Vierteln
7 ch
vierten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Vierteln is [ˈfɪʁtl̩n] while vierten is [ˈfiːɐ̯tn̩]. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27430, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Vierteln is recorded at frequency rank #24,565, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɪʁtl̩n]. 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 27430, this pair ranks #1,801,916 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Vierteln vs vierten

Shared letters: einrtv. Private to "Vierteln": l. Private to "vierten": -.

"Vierteln" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCC  ·  "vierten" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Viertelniverteln · veirteln · vieretln · vierrteln · viertelln · viertelnn · viertenl · viertlen
  • vierteniverten · veirten · vieretn · vierrten · viertenn · viertne · viertten · vietren

Frequency comparison

Vierteln#24,565
vierten#2,865

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Vierteln" and "vierten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Vierteln" is a noun and "vierten" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Vierteln" or "vierten"?
"vierten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,865 in our German list, against #24,565 for "Vierteln". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Vierteln vs vierten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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