Which to use
“pfui” and “puh” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,367
- “pfui” frequency rank
- #10,727
- “puh” frequency rank
- 31094
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pfui | puh |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ausruf des Ekels, der Abscheu, der Verachtung, der Empörung, der Missbilligung, des Missfallens und des Hohns | Lautäußerung vor, während oder nach einer körperlichen oder geistigen Anstrengung oder bei dem Gedanken daran |
Where the eye mixes pfui and puh
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses pfui with puh
A purely visual mix-up. pfui ([p͡fʊɪ̯]) and puh ([puː]) 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 31094, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pfui is recorded at frequency rank #20,367, classified as anintj, pronounced [p͡fʊɪ̯]. puh is at rank #10,727, tagged as anintj, pronounced [puː].
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 31094, this pair ranks #1,734,921 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pfui vs puh
Shared letters: pu. Private to "pfui": fi. Private to "puh": h.
"pfui" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "puh" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- pfui ← fpui · pffui · pfiu · ppfui · pufi
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pfui" for "puh" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "pfui" or "puh" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pfui" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "puh" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,734,921 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pfui" and "puh" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Pau vs pfui". 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 #1,734,921 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.