Ei

[aɪ̯]

/[aɪ̯]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Ei” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #3,110) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#3,110
frequency rank, German
4,632
“E” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - eine Keimzelle

Corpus desk

Index DE-ei · Ei · German

Ei · rank #3,110 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,110
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,632
  • PHOTO-FINISH Effekt

Nearest frequency peer: Effekt (-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 “Ei”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “Ei” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

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.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for Ei is neighbouring look-alikes ("es", "er", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced [aɪ̯]. Frequency #3,110 among 4,632 “E” headwords. 9 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

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

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Nur eine Spermazelle kann ein Ei befruchten.
  2. „Bei der Jungfernzeugung (Parthogenese) entwickeln sich auch unbefruchtete Eier (z.B. bei den Bienen und Blattläusen).“

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.

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 "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.

What to do next

You've looked up "Ei". Here's where to go from here.

  • "Ei" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "es". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #3,110 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "E" letter cohort. E–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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