Griffel

[ˈɡʁɪfl̩]

/[ˈɡʁɪfl̩]/ noun

The verdict

“Griffel” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #46,002 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#46,002
frequency rank, German
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Stift, der zum Beschreiben von Schiefer- oder Wachstafeln dient

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Griffel vs Griffen
86% similar
Griffel vs Griff
71% similar
Griffel vs Gipfel
71% similar

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

Key facts for Griffel
PropertyValue
HeadwordGriffel
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈɡʁɪfl̩]
Letters7
Frequency rank#46,002
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Griffel” 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). Griffel 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 Griffel is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈɡʁɪfl̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #46,002 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Griffel, with forms such as "ggriffel", "girffel", and "grfifel". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Griffen", "Griff", "Gipfel", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is Griffel, spelled G-R-I-F-F-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Stift, der zum Beschreiben von Schiefer- oder Wachstafeln dient
  2. 2
    derjenige Teil des Stempels in einer Blüte, der die Narbe trägt
  3. 3
    Finger
  4. 4
    Werkzeug, mit dem ein Zeichner oder ein Maler künstlerisch arbeitet
  5. 5
    das Schreiben, das künstlerische Schaffen
  6. 6
    das Schreiberhandwerk als Gegensatz zum Schwerthandwerk
  7. 7
    etwas, das an einem Knochen griffelförmig hervorragt
  8. 8
    Grabstichel, Werkzeug eines Graveurs

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ggriffel,girffel,grfifel,grifefl,grifel,griffell,griffle,grriffel,rgiffel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Griffel - 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.

ggriffel1girffel2grfifel2grifefl2grifel1griffell1griffle2grriffel1
Edit distance from "Griffel"

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 "Griffel"?
"Griffel" is spelled G-R-I-F-F-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈɡʁɪfl̩].
What does "Griffel" mean?
As a noun, "Griffel" means: Stift, der zum Beschreiben von Schiefer- oder Wachstafeln dient
What words are commonly confused with "Griffel"?
"Griffel" is commonly confused with "Griffen", "Griff", "Gipfel". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Griffel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Griffel" is [ˈɡʁɪfl̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Griffel" come from?
"Griffel" 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 “Griffel”

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

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