Hefe

[ˈheːfə]

/[ˈheːfə]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Hefe” has 5 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #19,250. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,250
frequency rank, German
3,372
“H” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - einzelliger Pilz (zumeist Saccharomycetaceae aber auch Pichiaceae und Incertae sedis), der sich sexuell und/oder asexuell zumeist durch Sprossung, aber auch durch Spaltung (Schizosaccharomycetaceae...

Corpus desk

Index DE-hefe · Hefe · German

Hefe · rank #19,250 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,250
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,372
  • PHOTO-FINISH Handschellen

Nearest frequency peer: Handschellen (-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.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „Hefe“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „Hefe“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

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).

Hefe vs HF
25% similar
Hefe vs her
25% similar
Hefe vs hey
25% similar

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

Key facts for Hefe
PropertyValue
HeadwordHefe
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈheːfə]
Letters4
Frequency rank#19,250
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „Hefe“

Die Häufigkeit läuft von den wenigen Alltagswörtern (links) bis zur langen, seltenen Schwanzseite (rechts).Hefeliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

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

Die Achse ist logarithmisch: jeder Tick markiert etwa zehnfach geringere Häufigkeit. Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „Handschellen“ (#19,249), „Hegel“ (#19,251), „hands“ (#19,248). Unter 3,372 „H“-Lemmata liegt „Hefe“ bei #19,250. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around Hefe (IPA [ˈheːfə]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,250 among 3,372 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for Hefe, with forms such as "ehfe", "heef", and "heffe". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "HF", "her", "hey", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is Hefe, spelled H-E-F-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    einzelliger Pilz (zumeist Saccharomycetaceae aber auch Pichiaceae und Incertae sedis), der sich sexuell und/oder asexuell zumeist durch Sprossung, aber auch durch Spaltung (Schizosaccharomycetaceae), vermehrt
  2. 2
    eine mit den unter [1] beschriebenen Pilzen durchsetzte Substanz, die verwendet wird als ein Gärprozess einleitendes Mittel bei der Herstellung bestimmter (alkoholischer) Getränke und als dem Teig beigegebener Stoff, der das Aufgehen/Treiben von Teig für bestimmte Backwaren bewirkt
  3. 3
    als übel, verkommen geltender Teil einer Bevölkerungsgruppe
  4. 4
    dasjenige Element, das etwas antreibt, beschleunigt, vorwärtstreibt

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Blutende Baumstämme werden von Hefen besiedelt.
  2. „Darüber hinaus soll mindestens je ein Beispiel für die Kultivierung von Bakterien, Hefen, Pilzen, tierischen Zellen und Mischkulturen vorgestellt werden.“

Synonyms

HefepilzBärmeGermGestYeastBermeGärmGäschtGästGeschtGischtGohreGöhreJäschtJästJest

This word in other languages

yeast(English)levadura(Español)levure(Français)levedura(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehfe
  • heef
  • heffe
  • hfee
  • hhefe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehfe2heef2heffe1hfee2hhefe1
Edit distance from "Hefe"

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 "Hefe"?
"Hefe" is spelled H-E-F-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈheːfə].
What does "Hefe" mean?
As a noun, "Hefe" means: einzelliger Pilz (zumeist Saccharomycetaceae aber auch Pichiaceae und Incertae sedis), der sich sexuell und/oder asexuell zumeist durch Sprossung, aber auch durch Spaltung (Schizosaccharomycetaceae...
What words are commonly confused with "Hefe"?
"Hefe" is commonly confused with "HF", "her", "hey". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Hefe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Hefe" is [ˈheːfə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Hefe" come from?
"Hefe" 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 "Hefe", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Isar#19,264Jade#19,265kahl#19,269Keim#19,273

Similar misspelling depth

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

Lynn5 variantsMuse5 variantsniki5 variantsoval5 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list