eher
[ˈeːɐ]
The verdict
“eher” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #408) as an adverb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.
- #408
- frequency rank, German
- 4,632
- “E” headwords
- 3
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - zu einem früheren Zeitpunkt
Corpus desk
Index DE-eher · eher · German
eher · rank #408 · 3 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-CORE #408
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-LOW 3 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,632
- PHOTO-FINISH ebenfalls
Nearest frequency peer: ebenfalls (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “eher”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- Abend
Abend
99,596 corpus weight
- dank
dank
99,595 corpus weight
- ebenfalls
ebenfalls
99,594 corpus weight
- eher
eher
99,593 corpus weight
- H
H
99,592 corpus weight
- hinter
hinter
99,591 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “eher” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | eher |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | [ˈeːɐ] |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #408 |
| Misspellings tracked | 3 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “eher” sits in German frequency
Easy to mix with look-alikes
The spelling risk for eher is neighbouring look-alikes ("er", "eye", …), not just typos; it is anadverb pronounced [ˈeːɐ]. Frequency #408 among 4,632 “E” headwords. 4 recorded senses keep meaning in play.
Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for eher, with forms such as "eehr", "eherr", and "ehher". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "er", "eye", "eve", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is eher, spelled E-H-E-R.
Definition
- 1zu einem früheren Zeitpunkt
- 2Einleitung einer bevorzugten Alternative in emotional negativ besetzten Kontexten
- 3größere Wahrscheinlichkeit bei sehr unwahrscheinlichen Ereignissen
- 4betont die persönliche, subjektive Beurteilung eines Sachverhalts; zu einer Formulierung tendierend
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how eher appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Wer eher (mit seiner Arbeit) fertig ist, darf früher gehen.
Eher werfe ich mein Geld aus dem Fenster, als dass ich es dir gebe.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- eehr
- eherr
- ehher
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of eher - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "eher"?
What does "eher" mean?
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Similar German words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "eher", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.