helfen
[ˈhɛlfn̩]
The verdict
“helfen” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #569 in German word frequency and used as a verb.
- #569
- frequency rank, German
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (mit Dativ, seltener mit Akkusativ) jemandem das Tun einer Sache durch Übernehmen bestimmter Teile oder einen Ratschlag ermöglichen oder erleichtern
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | helfen |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [ˈhɛlfn̩] |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #569 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “helfen” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for helfen is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈhɛlfn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #569 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 2 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 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(mit Dativ, seltener mit Akkusativ) jemandem das Tun einer Sache durch Übernehmen bestimmter Teile oder einen Ratschlag ermöglichen oder erleichtern
- 2wirken, wirksam sein
Antonyms
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
What does "helfen" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "helfen"?
How do you pronounce "helfen"?
What language does "helfen" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “helfen”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is H-E-L-F-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈhɛlfn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Hilfe” - see the side-by-side comparison. helfen vs Hilfe
- 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.