self

[self]

/[self]/ noun

The verdict

“self” has 6 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #11,966. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,966
frequency rank, German
8,027
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - das Selbst; das Ich

Corpus desk

Index DE-self · self · German

self · rank #11,966 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,966
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,027
  • PHOTO-FINISH season

Nearest frequency peer: season (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „self“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „self“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

self vs Sex
25% similar
self vs set
50% similar
self vs Sol
25% similar

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

Key facts for self
PropertyValue
Headwordself
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[self]
Letters4
Frequency rank#11,966
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „self“

Von links nach rechts: die wenigen Träger des Alltags, dann der lange Schwanz kaum gebrauchter Formen.selfliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

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

Die Skala ist logarithmisch (jeder Tick ≈ 10× seltener). Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „season“ (#11,965), „Senf“ (#11,967), „Schumann“ (#11,964). Unter 8,027 „S“-Lemmata liegt „self“ bei #11,966. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around self (IPA [self]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,966 among 8,027 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "das Selbst; das Ich".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for self, with forms such as "eslf", "sefl", and "selff". 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, "Sex", "set", "Sol", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is self, spelled S-E-L-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    das Selbst; das Ich

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eslf
  • sefl
  • selff
  • sellf
  • slef
  • sself

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of self - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

eslf2sefl2selff1sellf1slef2sself1
Edit distance from "self"

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 "self"?
"self" is spelled S-E-L-F. The IPA pronunciation is [self].
What does "self" mean?
As a noun, "self" means: das Selbst; das Ich
What words are commonly confused with "self"?
"self" is commonly confused with "Sex", "set", "Sol". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "self"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "self" is [self]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "self" come from?
"self" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "self", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list