Which to use
“Pfeilen” and “Pfeilern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,945
- “Pfeilen” frequency rank
- #49,149
- “Pfeilern” frequency rank
- 88094
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pfeilen | Pfeilern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Pfeil | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Pfeiler |
Where the eye mixes Pfeilen and Pfeilern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Pfeilen runs 7 letters (CCVVCVC) against Pfeilern's 8 (CCVVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Pfeilen and Pfeilern
A purely visual mix-up. Pfeilen ([ˈp͡faɪ̯lən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 88094, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pfeilen is recorded at frequency rank #38,945, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈp͡faɪ̯lən]. 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 88094, this pair ranks #72,422 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Pfeilen vs Pfeilern
Shared letters: efilnp. Private to "Pfeilen": -. Private to "Pfeilern": r.
"Pfeilen" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC · "Pfeilern" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Pfeilen" for "Pfeilern" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Pfeilen" or "Pfeilern"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "Pfeilen" and "Pfeilern" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Pfeilen" 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 #72,422 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pfeilen" and "Pfeilern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Pfeifer 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 #72,422 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.