ParteivsPfarreiConfusable pair

Which to use

“Partei” and “Pfarrei” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#639
“Partei” frequency rank
#14,382
“Pfarrei” frequency rank
15021
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Partei Pfarrei
Definition Gruppe von Personen, die dasselbe Ziel erreichen wollen von einem Pfarrer geleitete, unterste kirchliche Behörde

Where the eye mixes Partei and Pfarrei

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Partei runs 6 letters (CVCCVV) against Pfarrei's 7 (CCVCCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Partei
7 ch
Pfarrei

Look-alike desk: Partei vs Pfarrei

A purely visual mix-up. Partei ([paʁˈtaɪ̯]) and Pfarrei ([p͡faˈʁaɪ̯]) 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 15021, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Partei is recorded at frequency rank #639, classified as anoun, pronounced [paʁˈtaɪ̯]. Pfarrei is at rank #14,382, tagged as anoun, pronounced [p͡faˈʁaɪ̯].

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 15021, this pair ranks #1,947,019 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Partei vs Pfarrei

Shared letters: aeipr. Private to "Partei": t. Private to "Pfarrei": f.

"Partei" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV  ·  "Pfarrei" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Partei ← aprtei · pareti · parrtei · parttei · patrei · ppartei · pratei
  • Pfarrei ← fparrei · pafrrei · pfarei · pfareri · pfarrie · pffarrei · pfrarei · ppfarrei

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Partei" for "Pfarrei" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([paʁˈtaɪ̯] versus [p͡faˈʁaɪ̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Partei" or "Pfarrei" show up more?
"Partei" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #639 in our German list, against #14,382 for "Pfarrei". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Partei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Pfarrei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,947,019 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Partei" and "Pfarrei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Pfarrei vs Pfarrerin". 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 #1,947,019 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list