Muffel

[ˈmʊfl̩]

/[ˈmʊfl̩]/ noun

The verdict

“Muffel” is uncommon German (frequency #71,639 among 44,424 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,639
frequency rank, German
44,424
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - jemand, der mürrisch, unfreundlich, ungesprächig, verdrießlich ist

Key facts for Muffel
PropertyValue
HeadwordMuffel
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈmʊfl̩]
Letters6
Frequency rank#71,639
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Muffel” 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). Muffel lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Muffel is uncommon German at frequency #71,639 among 44,424 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈmʊfl̩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Muffel doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is Muffel, spelled M-U-F-F-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    jemand, der mürrisch, unfreundlich, ungesprächig, verdrießlich ist
  2. 2
    jemand, der etwas (aus Abneigung, Desinteresse, Gleichgültigkeit) gar nicht oder nur ungern tut
  3. 3
    (bei Wiederkäuern) Maul samt dem Bereich um die Nasenlöcher
  4. 4
    unbehaarter, eine Felderung aufweisender, durch die Schleimhaut gebildeter Bereich um die Nasenlöcher mancher Großsäuger

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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 "Muffel"?
"Muffel" is spelled M-U-F-F-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈmʊfl̩].
What does "Muffel" mean?
As a noun, "Muffel" means: jemand, der mürrisch, unfreundlich, ungesprächig, verdrießlich ist
How do you pronounce "Muffel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Muffel" is [ˈmʊfl̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Muffel" come from?
"Muffel" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “Muffel”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is M-U-F-F-E-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈmʊfl̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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