höflich

[ˈhøːflɪç]

/[ˈhøːflɪç]/ adj

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

The verdict

“höflich” has 11 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #8,729. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,729
frequency rank, German
3,372
“H” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - formell respektvoll

Corpus desk

Index DE-hoflich · höflich · German

höflich · rank #8,729 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,729
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,372
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hongkong

Nearest frequency peer: Hongkong (-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 „höflich“

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

corpus weight

What this shows „höflich“ 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).

höflich vs höllisch
75% similar
höflich vs höfliche
88% similar

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

Key facts for höflich
PropertyValue
Headwordhöflich
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈhøːflɪç]
Letters7
Frequency rank#8,729
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „höflich“

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

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

Die Skala ist logarithmisch (jeder Tick ≈ 10× seltener). Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „Hongkong“ (#8,728), „jetzige“ (#8,730), „Homosexualität“ (#8,727). Unter 3,372 „H“-Lemmata liegt „höflich“ bei #8,729. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around höflich (IPA [ˈhøːflɪç]), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #8,729 among 3,372 “H” headwords. Dominant gloss: "formell respektvoll".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for höflich, with forms such as "hfölich", "hhöflich", and "höfflich". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "höllisch", "höfliche", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is höflich, spelled H-Ö-F-L-I-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    formell respektvoll

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Es ist höflich, „bitte“ und „danke“ zu sagen.
  2. Eigentlich liegt mir „Sie Arsch!“ auf der Zunge, was ich mir aber höflich verkneife.

Synonyms

achtungsvollehrerbietigehrfürchtiggalantfreundlichkorrektpietätvollrücksichtsvollwohlerzogen

Antonyms

abschätzigdespektierlichdreistgeringschätzigpietätlosrespektlosrücksichtslosrüdeunehrerbietigunfreundlichunhöflichverächtlich

This word in other languages

polite(English)cortés(Español)courtois(Français)polido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hfölich
  • hhöflich
  • höfflich
  • höfilch
  • höflcih
  • höflicch
  • höflichh
  • höflihc
  • höfllich
  • hölfich
  • öhflich

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hfölich2hhöflich1höfflich1höfilch2höflcih2höflicch1höflichh1höflihc2
Edit distance from "höflich"

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 "höflich"?
"höflich" is spelled H-Ö-F-L-I-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈhøːflɪç].
What does "höflich" mean?
As an adjective, "höflich" means: formell respektvoll
What words are commonly confused with "höflich"?
"höflich" is commonly confused with "höllisch", "höfliche". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "höflich"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "höflich" is [ˈhøːflɪç]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "höflich" come from?
"höflich" 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 "höflich", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

jetzige#8,730Gärtner#8,725Kanzlei#8,733Lichter#8,748

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

längerer11 variantsNapoleon11 variantsbeiseite11 variantsscheiden11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list