Gefahr

[ɡəˈfaːɐ̯]

/[ɡəˈfaːɐ̯]/ noun

The verdict

“Gefahr” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #990 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#990
frequency rank, German
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - die Möglichkeit, dass Schaden oder eine Verletzung entsteht

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Gefahr vs Gefühl
67% similar
Gefahr vs Gewehr
67% similar
Gefahr vs genäht
33% similar

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

Key facts for Gefahr
PropertyValue
HeadwordGefahr
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ɡəˈfaːɐ̯]
Letters6
Frequency rank#990
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Gefahr” 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). Gefahr 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 Gefahr is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ɡəˈfaːɐ̯]. Corpus data places it at rank #990 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "die Möglichkeit, dass Schaden oder eine Verletzung entsteht".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Gefahr, with forms such as "egfahr", "geafhr", and "gefahhr". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "Gefühl", "Gewehr", "genäht", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is Gefahr, spelled G-E-F-A-H-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    die Möglichkeit, dass Schaden oder eine Verletzung entsteht

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: egfahr,geafhr,gefahhr,gefahrr,gefarh,geffahr,gefhar,gfeahr,ggefahr

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Gefahr - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

egfahr2geafhr2gefahhr1gefahrr1gefarh2geffahr1gefhar2gfeahr2
Edit distance from "Gefahr"

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 "Gefahr"?
"Gefahr" is spelled G-E-F-A-H-R. The IPA pronunciation is [ɡəˈfaːɐ̯].
What does "Gefahr" mean?
As a noun, "Gefahr" means: die Möglichkeit, dass Schaden oder eine Verletzung entsteht
What words are commonly confused with "Gefahr"?
"Gefahr" is commonly confused with "Gefühl", "Gewehr", "genäht". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Gefahr"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Gefahr" is [ɡəˈfaːɐ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Gefahr" come from?
"Gefahr" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “Gefahr”

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

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