pfeifen

/[ˈp͡faɪ̯fn̩]/ verb

Letters

7 characters

Frequency Rank

#11,305

in German word usage

Misspellings

10

tracked variants

Confusables

11

similar word pairs

pfeifen is aGermanverb. It means: ein auffälliges Geräusch durch schnellen Luftzug durch eine kleine Öffnung natürlich (bei Menschen durch die angespitzten, geformten Lippen) oder künstlich erzeugen Pronounced [ˈp͡faɪ̯fn̩]. Often confused with pfeift and Pfeile.

Key facts for pfeifen
PropertyValue
Headwordpfeifen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈp͡faɪ̯fn̩]
Letters7
Frequency rank#11,305
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of pfeifen in German word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for pfeifen is 7 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈp͡faɪ̯fn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #11,305 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 10 documented wrong-spelling variants for pfeifen, with forms such as "fpeifen", "pefifen", and "pfefien". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "pfeift", "Pfeile", "preisen", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

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. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct German form is pfeifen, spelled P-F-E-I-F-E-N, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    ein auffälliges Geräusch durch schnellen Luftzug durch eine kleine Öffnung natürlich (bei Menschen durch die angespitzten, geformten Lippen) oder künstlich erzeugen
  2. 2
    auf etwas; sich für etwas nicht interessieren; etwas oder jemanden ignorieren
  3. 3
    als Schiedsrichter in einem Spiel agieren
  4. 4
    etwas oder jemanden verpfeifen (sehr viel häufiger), verraten, etwas ausplaudern
  5. 5
    sich nichts pfeifen, sich nicht um etwas pfeifen: sich nicht scheren

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: fpeifen,pefifen,pfefien,pfeiefn,pfeifenn,pfeiffen,pfeifne,pffeifen,pfiefen,ppfeifen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for pfeifen

Misspelling Variants of "pfeifen"

fpeifen7pefifen7pfefien7pfeiefn7pfeifenn8pfeiffen8pfeifne7pffeifen8
Misspelling Variants of "pfeifen"

Frequency rank: #11,305 in German

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pfeifen"?
"pfeifen" is spelled P-F-E-I-F-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈp͡faɪ̯fn̩].
What does "pfeifen" mean?
As a verb, "pfeifen" means: ein auffälliges Geräusch durch schnellen Luftzug durch eine kleine Öffnung natürlich (bei Menschen durch die angespitzten, geformten Lippen) oder künstlich erzeugen
What words are commonly confused with "pfeifen"?
"pfeifen" is commonly confused with "pfeift", "Pfeile", "preisen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pfeifen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pfeifen" is [ˈp͡faɪ̯fn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pfeifen" come from?
"pfeifen" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Nearby German words

Other entries that begin with the letter P in our German index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.