self
[self]
The verdict
“self” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #11,966 in German word frequency and used as a noun.
- #11,966
- frequency rank, German
- 4
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - das Selbst; das Ich
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | self |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [self] |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #11,966 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “self” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for self is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [self]. Corpus data places it at rank #11,966 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "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
- 1das 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.
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
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Using “self”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is S-E-L-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [self] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Sex” - see the side-by-side comparison. self vs Sex
- 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.