paffen

[ˈpafn̩]

/[ˈpafn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“paffen” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - in Stößen rauchen ohne zu inhalieren

Corpus desk

Index DE-paffen · paffen · German

paffen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for paffen
PropertyValue
Headwordpaffen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈpafn̩]
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „paffen“ im Deutschen

paffenliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

paffen is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈpafn̩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for paffen, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, 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 paffen, spelled P-A-F-F-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    in Stößen rauchen ohne zu inhalieren
  2. 2
    „Paff“ machen, knallen, schießen, explodieren, verpuffen
  3. 3
    rauchen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Peter raucht nicht auf Lunge; er pafft nur.
  2. Man erkannte den Lokomotivschuppen bereits von weitem am Paffen der Dampflokomotiven.

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "paffen"?
"paffen" is spelled P-A-F-F-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈpafn̩].
What does "paffen" mean?
As a verb, "paffen" means: in Stößen rauchen ohne zu inhalieren
How do you pronounce "paffen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "paffen" is [ˈpafn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "paffen" come from?
"paffen" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list