Oligomers with well-defined chain lengths are of interest as foldamers, are important as model compounds for high-molecular-weight polymers and find application in electrooptic and sensory devices. This account presents an overview of the strategies that are available for the synthesis of eight important classes of uniform oligomers. The continuous refinement of the synthetic methods allows the preparation of ever longer oligomers in higher yields and also makes it possible to introduce special functional groups. These improvements could lead to materials with new or improved properties and underline the importance of synthetic organic chemistry for the development of new functional materials. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart.