Which to use
“Pfeife” and “Pfeilen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,650
- “Pfeife” frequency rank
- #38,945
- “Pfeilen” frequency rank
- 53595
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pfeife | Pfeilen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gerät zum Erzeugen von Tönen, bei dem Luft in der Regel über eine Kante geblasen wird | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Pfeil |
Where the eye mixes Pfeife and Pfeilen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Pfeife runs 6 letters (CCVVCV) against Pfeilen's 7 (CCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Pfeife and Pfeilen
A purely visual mix-up. Pfeife ([ˈp͡faɪ̯fə]) and Pfeilen ([ˈp͡faɪ̯lən]) 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 53595, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pfeife is recorded at frequency rank #14,650, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈp͡faɪ̯fə]. Pfeilen is at rank #38,945, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈp͡faɪ̯lən].
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 53595, this pair ranks #1,051,828 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Pfeife vs Pfeilen
Shared letters: efip. Private to "Pfeife": -. Private to "Pfeilen": ln.
"Pfeife" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV · "Pfeilen" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Pfeife" for "Pfeilen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Pfeife" or "Pfeilen"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Pfeife" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Pfeilen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,051,828 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pfeife" and "Pfeilen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Pfeilen vs Pfeilern". 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 #1,051,828 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.