Farbe

[ˈfaʁbə]

/[ˈfaʁbə]/ noun

The verdict

“Farbe” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #1,592 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,592
frequency rank, German
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ein bestimmter Abschnitt des sichtbaren Lichts im Spektrum der elektromagnetischen Wellen

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Farbe vs free
40% similar
Farbe vs fire
40% similar
Farbe vs farm
40% similar

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

Key facts for Farbe
PropertyValue
HeadwordFarbe
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈfaʁbə]
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,592
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Farbe” 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). Farbe 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 Farbe is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈfaʁbə]. Corpus data places it at rank #1,592 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Farbe, with forms such as "afrbe", "fabre", and "farbbe". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "free", "fire", "farm", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Farbe, spelled F-A-R-B-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    ein bestimmter Abschnitt des sichtbaren Lichts im Spektrum der elektromagnetischen Wellen
  2. 2
    Mittel zum Anstreichen, Färben von Oberflächen und Stoffen
  3. 3
    Hautrötung und Hautbräune bei hellhäutigen Menschen
  4. 4
    zusammengehörige Spielkarten in verschiedenen Kartenspielen
  5. 5
    Symbol, Zeichen, Partei, Standpunkt, Meinung, Position, Wahrzeichen

Synonyms

Kartenfarbe

Antonyms

BlässeBleichheitFahlheit

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: afrbe,fabre,farbbe,fareb,farrbe,ffarbe,frabe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

afrbe2fabre2farbbe1fareb2farrbe1ffarbe1frabe2
Edit distance from "Farbe"

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 "Farbe"?
"Farbe" is spelled F-A-R-B-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈfaʁbə].
What does "Farbe" mean?
As a noun, "Farbe" means: ein bestimmter Abschnitt des sichtbaren Lichts im Spektrum der elektromagnetischen Wellen
What words are commonly confused with "Farbe"?
"Farbe" is commonly confused with "free", "fire", "farm". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Farbe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Farbe" is [ˈfaʁbə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Farbe" come from?
"Farbe" 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 “Farbe”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is F-A-R-B-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈfaʁbə] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “free” - see the side-by-side comparison. Farbe vs free
  • 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