The cardinal number "ein" (one) is partly identical in form and inflection to the indefinite article. The number is distinguished from the article in speech by intonation and in writing sometimes by emphasis (e.g. italics, increased letter-spacing or small caps: "ein", or ). In colloquial German, the indefinite article "ein" is often shorted to or (like English "an" and Dutch "een"), whereas "eine" becomes . In dialects, the shortening may arrive at (Schwa, like English "a") or in Upper German regions. The cardinal number (= one), however, always retains its full pronunciation (again like Dutch "een").