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 eye mixes zwölf and zwölfte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zwölf runs 5 letters (CCVCC) against zwölfte's 7 (CCVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between zwölf and zwölfte
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zwölf" and "zwölfte" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "zwölf" vs "zwölfte" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zwölf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zwölfte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,599,747 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zwölf" and "zwölfte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zwölfte vs zwölften". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,599,747 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.