PfeilervsPfeilernConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#18,018
“Pfeiler” frequency rank
#49,149
“Pfeilern” frequency rank
67167
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Pfeiler Pfeilern
Definition ein frei oder an der Wand stehender, mehr oder minder schlanker nur prismatischer, auch runder Körper aus Stein, Holz, Mauerwerk, Kunststoff oder Metall zur Aufnahme von Lasten darüberliegender Bauteile Dativ Plural des Substantivs Pfeiler

Where the eye mixes Pfeiler and Pfeilern

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Pfeiler 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.

7 ch
Pfeiler
8 ch
Pfeilern

Why the eye confuses Pfeiler with Pfeilern

A purely visual mix-up. Pfeiler ([ˈp͡faɪ̯lɐ]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Pfeiler” sits inside “Pfeilern”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67167, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Pfeiler is recorded at frequency rank #18,018, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈp͡faɪ̯lɐ]. 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 67167, this pair ranks #549,098 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Pfeiler vs Pfeilern

Shared letters: efilpr. Private to "Pfeiler": -. Private to "Pfeilern": n.

"Pfeiler" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC  ·  "Pfeilern" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Pfeiler ← fpeiler · pefiler · pfeielr · pfeilerr · pfeiller · pfeilre · pfelier · pffeiler
  • Pfeilern ← fpeilern · pefilern · pfeielrn · pfeilenr · pfeilernn · pfeilerrn · pfeillern · pfeilren

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Pfeiler" and "Pfeilern" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈp͡faɪ̯lɐ] versus [ˈp͡faɪ̯lɐn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Pfeiler" or "Pfeilern"?
"Pfeiler" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,018 in our German list, against #49,149 for "Pfeilern". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Pfeiler" and "Pfeilern" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Pfeiler" 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 #549,098 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Pfeiler" 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 #549,098 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