Reife

[ˈʁaɪ̯fə]

/[ˈʁaɪ̯fə]/ noun

The verdict

“Reife” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #5,416 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,416
frequency rank, German
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Vollendung eines Wachstumsprozesses (bei Menschen physisch oder geistig)

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Reife vs rein
40% similar
Reife vs Reis
60% similar
Reife vs rufe
40% similar

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

Key facts for Reife
PropertyValue
HeadwordReife
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈʁaɪ̯fə]
Letters5
Frequency rank#5,416
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Reife” 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). Reife lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Reife is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈʁaɪ̯fə]. Corpus data places it at rank #5,416 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for Reife, with forms such as "erife", "refie", and "reief". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "rein", "Reis", "rufe", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is Reife, spelled R-E-I-F-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vollendung eines Wachstumsprozesses (bei Menschen physisch oder geistig)
  2. 2
    Schulreife
  3. 3
    Geschlechtsreife, sexuelle Reife

Synonyms

FruchtreifeMittlere Reife

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: erife,refie,reief,reiffe,riefe,rreife

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

erife2refie2reief2reiffe1riefe2rreife1
Edit distance from "Reife"

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 "Reife"?
"Reife" is spelled R-E-I-F-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʁaɪ̯fə].
What does "Reife" mean?
As a noun, "Reife" means: Vollendung eines Wachstumsprozesses (bei Menschen physisch oder geistig)
What words are commonly confused with "Reife"?
"Reife" is commonly confused with "rein", "Reis", "rufe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Reife"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Reife" is [ˈʁaɪ̯fə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Reife" come from?
"Reife" 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.

Using “Reife”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is R-E-I-F-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈʁaɪ̯fə] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “rein” - see the side-by-side comparison. Reife vs rein
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list