rufe

[ˈʁuːfə]

/[ˈʁuːfə]/ verb

The verdict

“rufe” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #6,967 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#6,967
frequency rank, German
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs rufen

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

rufe vs Rum
25% similar
rufe vs run
50% similar
rufe vs Ruh
25% similar

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

Key facts for rufe
PropertyValue
Headwordrufe
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈʁuːfə]
Letters4
Frequency rank#6,967
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rufe” 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). rufe 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 rufe is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈʁuːfə]. Corpus data places it at rank #6,967 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for rufe, with forms such as "rfue", "rrufe", and "ruef". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Rum", "run", "Ruh", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, 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 rufe, spelled R-U-F-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs rufen
  2. 2
    1. Person Singular Konjunktiv I Präsens Aktiv des Verbs rufen
  3. 3
    3. Person Singular Konjunktiv I Präsens Aktiv des Verbs rufen
  4. 4
    2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs rufen

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: rfue,rrufe,ruef,ruffe,urfe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

rfue2rrufe1ruef2ruffe1urfe2
Edit distance from "rufe"

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 "rufe"?
"rufe" is spelled R-U-F-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʁuːfə].
What does "rufe" mean?
As a verb, "rufe" means: 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs rufen
What words are commonly confused with "rufe"?
"rufe" is commonly confused with "Rum", "run", "Ruh". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rufe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rufe" is [ˈʁuːfə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "rufe" come from?
"rufe" 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.

Using “rufe”

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

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