Which to use
“Efeu” and “Elfe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #48,090
- “Efeu” frequency rank
- #43,837
- “Elfe” frequency rank
- 91927
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Efeu | Elfe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pflanzengattung aus der Familie der Araliengewächse (Araliaceae) | weibliches Fabelwesen mit menschlicher/menschenähnlicher Gestalt |
Where the eye mixes Efeu and Elfe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Efeu (VCVV) and Elfe (VCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: Efeu vs Elfe
A purely visual mix-up. Efeu ([ˈeːfɔɪ̯]) and Elfe ([ˈɛlfə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 91927, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Efeu is recorded at frequency rank #48,090, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈeːfɔɪ̯]. Elfe is at rank #43,837, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛlfə].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 91927, this pair ranks #33,864 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Efeu vs Elfe
Shared letters: ef. Private to "Efeu": u. Private to "Elfe": l.
"Efeu" · 4 letters · shape VCVV · "Elfe" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Efeu" and "Elfe" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Efeu" or "Elfe"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Efeu" and "Elfe" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Efeu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Elfe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #33,864 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Efeu" and "Elfe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Elfe vs Erle". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #33,864 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.