Which to use
“Pfeile” and “Pleite” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,095
- “Pfeile” frequency rank
- #5,207
- “Pleite” frequency rank
- 22302
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pfeile | Pleite |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Pfeil | Unfähigkeit, die Kosten für finanzielle Verpflichtungen zu bestreiten |
Where the eye mixes Pfeile and Pleite
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Pfeile with Pleite
A purely visual mix-up. Pfeile ([ˈp͡faɪ̯lə]) and Pleite ([ˈplaɪ̯tə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22302, 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]. Pleite is at rank #5,207, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈplaɪ̯tə].
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 22302, this pair ranks #1,875,812 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Pfeile vs Pleite
Shared letters: eilp. Private to "Pfeile": f. Private to "Pleite": t.
"Pfeile" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV · "Pleite" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Pfeile" for "Pleite" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Pfeile" vs "Pleite" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "Pfeile" and "Pleite" 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 "Pleite" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,875,812 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pfeile" and "Pleite" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Pfeile 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 #1,875,812 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.