greifen

[ˈɡʁaɪ̯fn̩]

/[ˈɡʁaɪ̯fn̩]/ verb

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

The verdict

“greifen” has 10 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #2,895. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,895
frequency rank, German
5,117
“G” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - etwas mit der Hand nehmen

Corpus desk

Index DE-greifen · greifen · German

greifen · rank #2,895 · 10 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,895
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,117
  • PHOTO-FINISH gelaufen

Nearest frequency peer: gelaufen (-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 “greifen”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “greifen” 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 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

greifen vs greift
71% similar
greifen vs Greven
57% similar
greifen vs Grenzen
57% similar

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

Key facts for greifen
PropertyValue
Headwordgreifen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈɡʁaɪ̯fn̩]
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,895
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “greifen” 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). greifen lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around greifen (IPA [ˈɡʁaɪ̯fn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #2,895 among 5,117 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for greifen, with forms such as "gerifen", "ggreifen", and "grefien". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "greift", "Greven", "Grenzen", 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 greifen, spelled G-R-E-I-F-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas mit der Hand nehmen
  2. 2
    jemanden fassen, gefangen nehmen
  3. 3
    die Hand nach jemandem/etwas ausstrecken, um ihn/es zu berühren, zu ergreifen
  4. 4
    zum Klingen bringen
  5. 5
    das gewünschte Resultat zeigen
  6. 6
    fest aufliegen, einrasten, genügend Reibungswiderstand haben
  7. 7
    einen Schätzwert abgeben

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Emil griff das herabhängende Seil und schwang sich auf die andere Seite.
  2. Trotz intensiver Ermittlungen konnte die Polizei den Täter nicht greifen.

This word in other languages

grab(English)aferrar(Español)attraper(Français)agarrar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • gerifen
  • ggreifen
  • grefien
  • greiefn
  • greifenn
  • greiffen
  • greifne
  • griefen
  • grreifen
  • rgeifen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of greifen - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

gerifen2ggreifen1grefien2greiefn2greifenn1greiffen1greifne2griefen2
Edit distance from "greifen"

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 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "greifen"?
"greifen" is spelled G-R-E-I-F-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈɡʁaɪ̯fn̩].
What does "greifen" mean?
As a verb, "greifen" means: etwas mit der Hand nehmen
What words are commonly confused with "greifen"?
"greifen" is commonly confused with "greift", "Greven", "Grenzen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "greifen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "greifen" is [ˈɡʁaɪ̯fn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "greifen" come from?
"greifen" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "greifen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Figuren#2,893Erfolge#2,891besetzt#2,876wachsen#2,868

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

vierten10 variantsviertel10 variantsunteren10 variantsdenkst10 variants

What to do next

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

  • "greifen" maps to 13 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "greift". View pair
  • 10 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,895 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "G" letter cohort. G–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