13 in Danish
Nearby Danish Numbers
13 in Other Languages
About 13 in Danish
13 translates to tretten. The ordinal form — used for rankings, dates, and sequences — is trettende.
13 is not divisible by two, and has no divisors other than 1 and itself. In Danish-speaking environments, 13 is the kind of number you'll hear and need to use regularly, from market prices to building floor numbers.
Mastering numbers like 13 is one of the most practical skills when learning Danish. Unlike vocabulary that only applies in specific contexts, numbers come up constantly — in shops, on public transport, in conversations about time and money, and when meeting new people.
Learning Numbers in Danish
What makes Danish numbers challenging
The vigesimal system for 50-90 is the primary hurdle — these numbers bear no resemblance to what an English speaker would expect. Halvtreds (50), tres (60), halvfjerds (70), firs (80), and halvfems (90) must simply be memorized. Combined with the ones-before-tens inversion (femogfyrre = 45, not 54), Danish numbers require intense practice. Even Swedes and Norwegians find Danish numbers confusing, and Danish pronunciation is notoriously soft and mumbled.
Tips for learning Danish numbers
Memorize the vigesimal tens (50-90) as complete words before trying to form compound numbers. Practice in pairs since Danes read phone numbers in two-digit groups. Watch for the inversion: when you hear the ones digit first, hold it mentally until you hear the tens. Listen to Danish media at slower speeds to train your ear for the soft pronunciation. Many Danes can switch to English, so do not hesitate to ask for clarification.