tæller

Tæller is a Danish word with several related senses. As a noun, it most commonly denotes a device or instrument used to count events, items, or occurrences. Common types include mechanical tally counters, which advance digits with a push or lever, and electronic or digital counters used in meters, manufacturing, data logging, or crowd counting. In everyday language, a tæller is any instrument that records a tally or total.

In mathematics, tæller is the term for the numerator in a fraction. The tæller indicates how many parts of a whole are being considered, while nævner denotes the total number of equal parts per whole. For example, in 3/7, 3 is the tæller and 7 is the nævner. This usage is standard in Danish and Norwegian mathematics.

As a verb, tæller is the present-tense form of tælle, meaning to count. For example, in Danish one might say that someone tæller objekter or tæller til ti, depending on the context. In computing and data processing, the concept of a counter (tæller) is used for variables or registers that increment as events occur, supporting loops, statistics, rate calculations, and monitoring.

Etymology traces tæller to the Danish verb tælle, meaning to count, with cognates in other Scandinavian languages. The term is widely used in everyday language, education, science, and technology in Danish-speaking contexts. See also Numerator, Nævner, and Tally counter.