Which to use
“Pfeile” and “Pfeilern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,095
- “Pfeile” frequency rank
- #49,149
- “Pfeilern” frequency rank
- 66244
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pfeile | Pfeilern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Pfeil | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Pfeiler |
Where the eye mixes Pfeile and Pfeilern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Pfeile runs 6 letters (CCVVCV) against Pfeilern's 8 (CCVVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Pfeile vs Pfeilern
A purely visual mix-up. Pfeile ([ˈp͡faɪ̯lə]) and Pfeilern ([ˈp͡faɪ̯lɐn]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Pfeile” sits inside “Pfeilern”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66244, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pfeile is recorded at frequency rank #17,095, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈp͡faɪ̯lə]. Pfeilern is at rank #49,149, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈp͡faɪ̯lɐn].
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 66244, this pair ranks #579,714 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Pfeile vs Pfeilern
Shared letters: efilp. Private to "Pfeile": -. Private to "Pfeilern": nr.
"Pfeile" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV · "Pfeilern" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Pfeile" for "Pfeilern" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Pfeile" or "Pfeilern"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Pfeile" and "Pfeilern" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Pfeile" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Pfeilern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #579,714 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pfeile" and "Pfeilern" 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 #579,714 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.