Ei

[aɪ̯]

/[aɪ̯]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Ei” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #3,110 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,110
frequency rank, German
2
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - eine Keimzelle

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Ei vs es
0% similar
Ei vs er
0% similar
Ei vs EU
50% similar

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

Key facts for Ei
PropertyValue
HeadwordEi
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[aɪ̯]
Letters2
Frequency rank#3,110
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Ei” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Ei lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Ei is 2 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [aɪ̯]. Corpus data places it at rank #3,110 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for Ei in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "es", "er", "EU", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is Ei, spelled E-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    eine Keimzelle
  2. 2
    ein Schalengebilde, in dem sich der Embryo oviparer Tierarten (zum Beispiel Vögel) bildet
  3. 3
    Inneres von Eiern^([2]) als Nahrungsmittel
  4. 4
    ovales, dreidimensionales und entlang einer Achse symmetrisches Gebilde
  5. 5
    Spielball und andere rundliche Gegenstände in annähernder Eiform, die sich zum Spielen eignen
  6. 6
    die Hoden
  7. 7
    das Ei des Kolumbus, realisierbarer Gedanke, realisierbare Idee, brauchbare Erfindung, Höhepunkt, Kern, Kerngedanke
  8. 8
    Ausrede, Erfindung, Frechheit, Höhepunkt, Scheinargument, Sinnlosigkeit, Spitzfindigkeit, Unverfrorenheit, Unverschämtheit
  9. 9
    für Währungseinheit, Deutsche Mark, Euro, Franken und Ähnliches

Synonyms

EizelleEllipsoidRotationsellipsoidBallErbsePilleMurmelHodenNüsseKlötenKlütenrealisierbarerGedankeIdeeErfindungEi des Kolumbusdas Gelbe vom EiHöhepunktKernKerngedankeAusredeClouErfindungFrechheitHöhepunktKernKerngedankeScheinargumentSinnlosigkeitTrickUnverfrorenheitUnverschämtheitWahnwitzWindeiWitzGedankeIdeeErfindungBanalitätFrechheitHirngespinstHirnrissigkeitHöhepunktIdiotieIrrtumIrrwitzIrrwitzigkeitKernKerngedankeLuftnummerNährwertNarreteiParanoiditätScheinargumentSchizophrenieSinnlosigkeitein Schuss in den OfenTaschenspielereiTaschenspielertrickunter aller Kanoneunter aller SauUnverfrorenheitUnverschämtheitWindeiWitzlosigkeit

Antonyms

SamenzelleSpermiumKugelPolyeder

This word in other languages

ovum(English)óvulo(Español)œuf(Français)ovo(Português)

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 "Ei"?
"Ei" is spelled E-I. The IPA pronunciation is [aɪ̯].
What does "Ei" mean?
As a noun, "Ei" means: eine Keimzelle
What words are commonly confused with "Ei"?
"Ei" is commonly confused with "es", "er", "EU". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Ei"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Ei" is [aɪ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Ei" come from?
"Ei" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “Ei”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is E-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [aɪ̯] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “es” - see the side-by-side comparison. Ei vs es
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list