Which to use
“Elfe” and “Elfen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #43,837
- “Elfe” frequency rank
- #19,886
- “Elfen” frequency rank
- 63723
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Elfe | Elfen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | weibliches Fabelwesen mit menschlicher/menschenähnlicher Gestalt | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Elf |
Where the eye mixes Elfe and Elfen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Elfe runs 4 letters (VCCV) against Elfen's 5 (VCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Elfe and Elfen
A purely visual mix-up. Elfe ([ˈɛlfə]) and Elfen ([ˈɛlfn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Elfe” sits inside “Elfen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63723, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Elfe is recorded at frequency rank #43,837, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛlfə]. Elfen is at rank #19,886, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛlfn̩].
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 63723, this pair ranks #666,598 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Elfe vs Elfen
Shared letters: efl. Private to "Elfe": -. Private to "Elfen": n.
"Elfe" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "Elfen" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Elfe" for "Elfen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Elfe" or "Elfen"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Elfe" and "Elfen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Elfe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Elfen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #666,598 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Elfe" and "Elfen" 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 #666,598 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.