zwölf vs zwölfte, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“zwölf” and “zwölfte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,045
“zwölf” frequency rank: #35,018
“zwölfte” frequency rank: 37063
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	zwölf	zwölfte
Definition	die Kardinalzahl zwischen elf und dreizehn	nach dem beziehungsweise der elften kommend; dem dreizehnten vorausgehend

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch

zwölf

7 ch

zwölfte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. zwölf ([t͡svœlf]) and zwölfte ([ˈt͡svœlftə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “zwölf” sits inside “zwölfte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37063, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zwölf is recorded at frequency rank #2,045, classified as anum, pronounced [t͡svœlf]. zwölfte is at rank #35,018, tagged as anum, pronounced [ˈt͡svœlftə].

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 37063, this pair ranks #1,599,747 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of zwölf vs zwölfte

Shared letters: flwzö. Private to "zwölf": -. Private to "zwölfte": et.

"zwölf" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "zwölfte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV

Frequency comparison

zwölf#2,045

zwölfte#35,018

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zwölf" and "zwölfte" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([t͡svœlf] versus [ˈt͡svœlftə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "zwölf" or "zwölfte"?

"zwölf" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,045 in our German list, against #35,018 for "zwölfte". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering zwölf vs zwölfte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “zwölf” entry
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