helfen

[ˈhɛlfn̩]

/[ˈhɛlfn̩]/ verb

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

The verdict

“helfen” has 9 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #569. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#569
frequency rank, German
3,372
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - (mit Dativ, seltener mit Akkusativ) jemandem das Tun einer Sache durch Übernehmen bestimmter Teile oder einen Ratschlag ermöglichen oder erleichtern

Corpus desk

Index DE-helfen · helfen · German

helfen · rank #569 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #569
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,372
  • PHOTO-FINISH kosten

Nearest frequency peer: kosten (+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 „helfen“

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

corpus weight

What this shows „helfen“ 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).

helfen vs Hilfe
50% similar
helfen vs holen
67% similar
helfen vs helle
67% similar

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

Key facts for helfen
PropertyValue
Headwordhelfen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈhɛlfn̩]
Letters6
Frequency rank#569
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „helfen“

Diese Skala geht vom Kern des Alltagdeutschen (links) bis zum seltenen Langschwanz (rechts).helfenliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

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

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „kosten“ (#570), „Freunde“ (#567), „könnten“ (#571). Unter 3,372 „H“-Lemmata liegt „helfen“ bei #569. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around helfen (IPA [ˈhɛlfn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #569 among 3,372 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for helfen, with forms such as "ehlfen", "heflen", and "helefn". 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, "Hilfe", "holen", "helle", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is helfen, spelled H-E-L-F-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    (mit Dativ, seltener mit Akkusativ) jemandem das Tun einer Sache durch Übernehmen bestimmter Teile oder einen Ratschlag ermöglichen oder erleichtern
  2. 2
    wirken, wirksam sein

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Lass mich dir helfen, dann geht es schneller.
  2. „Was hülfe es dem Menschen, so er die ganze Welt gewönne und nähme Schaden an seiner Seele?“

Antonyms

im Stich lassenschaden

This word in other languages

help(English)ayudar(Español)aider(Français)ajudar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehlfen
  • heflen
  • helefn
  • helfenn
  • helffen
  • helfne
  • hellfen
  • hhelfen
  • hlefen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehlfen2heflen2helefn2helfenn1helffen1helfne2hellfen1hhelfen1
Edit distance from "helfen"

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 "helfen"?
"helfen" is spelled H-E-L-F-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈhɛlfn̩].
What does "helfen" mean?
As a verb, "helfen" means: (mit Dativ, seltener mit Akkusativ) jemandem das Tun einer Sache durch Übernehmen bestimmter Teile oder einen Ratschlag ermöglichen oder erleichtern
What words are commonly confused with "helfen"?
"helfen" is commonly confused with "Hilfe", "holen", "helle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "helfen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "helfen" is [ˈhɛlfn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "helfen" come from?
"helfen" 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 "helfen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

kosten#570folgen#566obwohl#572suchen#574

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

könnten9 variantseinzige9 variantsErfolg9 variantsfahren9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list