Ruf

[ʁuːf]

/[ʁuːf]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Ruf” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #2,317 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,317
frequency rank, German
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ein Laut, der an jemanden adressiert ist

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Ruf vs RV
33% similar
Ruf vs RZ
33% similar
Ruf vs Rum
67% similar

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

Key facts for Ruf
PropertyValue
HeadwordRuf
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ʁuːf]
Letters3
Frequency rank#2,317
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Ruf” 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). Ruf 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 Ruf is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ʁuːf]. Corpus data places it at rank #2,317 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.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Ruf, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "RV", "RZ", "Rum", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Ruf, spelled R-U-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    ein Laut, der an jemanden adressiert ist
  2. 2
    das Ansehen, das jemand bei anderen hat
  3. 3
    eine Aufforderung, beispielsweise einen Platz oder eine Position (an einer Universität) einzunehmen oder etwas zu tun

Synonyms

SchreiImageLeumundPrestigeRenommeeReputationAngebotBerufung

Antonyms

GeflüsterGewisper

This word in other languages

call(English)grito(Español)appel(Français)reputação(Português)

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 "Ruf"?
"Ruf" is spelled R-U-F. The IPA pronunciation is [ʁuːf].
What does "Ruf" mean?
As a noun, "Ruf" means: ein Laut, der an jemanden adressiert ist
What words are commonly confused with "Ruf"?
"Ruf" is commonly confused with "RV", "RZ", "Rum". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Ruf"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Ruf" is [ʁuːf]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Ruf" come from?
"Ruf" 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 “Ruf”

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

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