Detlef

[ˈdɛtlɛf]

/[ˈdɛtlɛf]/ name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Detlef” has 9 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #13,573. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,573
frequency rank, German
2,764
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - männlicher Vorname

Corpus desk

Index DE-detlef · Detlef · German

Detlef · rank #13,573 · 9 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,573
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,764
  • PHOTO-FINISH dawn

Nearest frequency peer: dawn (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „Detlef“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „Detlef“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Detlef vs delle
50% similar
Detlef vs Dealer
67% similar
Detlef vs derlei
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Detlef
PropertyValue
HeadwordDetlef
LanguageGerman
Part of speechProper noun
IPA[ˈdɛtlɛf]
Letters6
Frequency rank#13,573
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „Detlef“

Diese Skala geht vom Kern des Alltagdeutschen (links) bis zum seltenen Langschwanz (rechts).Detlefliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Die Skala ist logarithmisch (jeder Tick ≈ 10× seltener). Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „dawn“ (#13,572), „diplomatischen“ (#13,574), „Dasein“ (#13,571). Unter 2,764 „D“-Lemmata liegt „Detlef“ bei #13,573. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Detlef (IPA [ˈdɛtlɛf]), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #13,573 among 2,764 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "männlicher Vorname".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Detlef, with forms such as "ddetlef", "deltef", and "detelf". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "delle", "Dealer", "derlei", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Detlef, spelled D-E-T-L-E-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    männlicher Vorname

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Detlef appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Der kleine Detlef fährt gern Skateboard.
  2. Detlef und Dragan gehen heute zum Puppentheater.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddetlef
  • deltef
  • detelf
  • detleff
  • detlfe
  • detllef
  • dettlef
  • dtelef
  • edtlef

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Detlef - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddetlef1deltef2detelf2detleff1detlfe2detllef1dettlef1dtelef2
Edit distance from "Detlef"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Detlef"?
"Detlef" is spelled D-E-T-L-E-F. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈdɛtlɛf].
What does "Detlef" mean?
As a proper noun, "Detlef" means: männlicher Vorname
What words are commonly confused with "Detlef"?
"Detlef" is commonly confused with "delle", "Dealer", "derlei". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Detlef"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Detlef" is [ˈdɛtlɛf]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Detlef" come from?
"Detlef" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Detlef", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Dasein#13,571dünner#13,580begeht#13,556Banden#13,552

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Esther9 variantsAlfons9 variantsÄmtern9 variantsverübt9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list