Fear of the number five (quintaphobia)

Quintaphobia is a fear of the number five. Someone with it might avoid house number five, re-order items so there are never five of something, or feel uneasy when a time or total ends in five. It can sit quietly in the background or shape a surprising number of small daily choices.

About this phobia

The name comes from the Latin quintus, meaning fifth. It is rarely reported and appears mostly on lists of number-related fears. It belongs with other number phobias such as triskaidekaphobia, the fear of thirteen, and tetraphobia, the fear of four.

What it feels like

• Avoiding seats, rooms or house numbers with a five in them
• Rearranging items or changing totals so they do not land on five
• A sense of bad luck or dread when the number keeps cropping up

Explore more unusual fears in the rare phobias A to Z, or browse the common phobias.

Common questions

Is a fear of a number a form of OCD?

Not necessarily. Some number fears are simple superstitions or specific phobias, while others are part of obsessive compulsive patterns involving counting or checking. If rituals around numbers take up a lot of time or cause real distress, a GP can help work out what is going on.

How can you help?

I use hypnotherapy and NLP to change how your mind responds to the thing you fear, so the old alarm stops going off. Sessions are one to one over Zoom, and you get a recording of the hypnosis to listen to afterwards.

How many sessions will I need?

Many clients notice a real difference after one 90 minute session. If the fear goes back a long way, three sessions gives us room to make the change stick.

Ready to start?

Book a £49 consultation call and we’ll talk through your fear, or take the free suitability test first.

See all session options and prices