Which to use
“Eifer” and “Elfe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,269
- “Eifer” frequency rank
- #43,837
- “Elfe” frequency rank
- 61106
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Eifer | Elfe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ernsthaftes Bemühen, Verfolgen eines Ziels | weibliches Fabelwesen mit menschlicher/menschenähnlicher Gestalt |
Where the eye mixes Eifer and Elfe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Eifer and Elfe
A purely visual mix-up. Eifer ([ˈaɪ̯fɐ]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61106, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Eifer is recorded at frequency rank #17,269, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯fɐ]. 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 61106, this pair ranks #762,082 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Eifer vs Elfe
Shared letters: ef. Private to "Eifer": ir. Private to "Elfe": l.
"Eifer" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC · "Elfe" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Eifer" for "Elfe" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Eifer" vs "Elfe" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Eifer" 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 #762,082 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Eifer" 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 #762,082 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.