Which to use
“uff” and “ui” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,800
- “uff” frequency rank
- #13,713
- “ui” frequency rank
- 22513
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | uff | ui |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Lautäußerung vor, während oder nach einer körperlichen oder geistigen Anstrengung oder bei dem Gedanken daran. | Ausdruck des Bestaunens |
Where the eye mixes uff and ui
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses uff with ui
A purely visual mix-up. uff ([ʊf]) and ui ([ʊɪ̯]) 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 22513, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
uff is recorded at frequency rank #8,800, classified as anintj, pronounced [ʊf]. ui is at rank #13,713, tagged as anintj, pronounced [ʊɪ̯].
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 22513, this pair ranks #1,873,274 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of uff vs ui
Shared letters: u. Private to "uff": f. Private to "ui": i.
"uff" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "ui" · 2 letters · shape VV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "uff" for "ui" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "uff" or "ui" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "uff" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ui" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,873,274 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "uff" and "ui" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "uch vs ui". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,873,274 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.