UFO

[ˈuːfo]

/[ˈuːfo]/ abbrev

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

The verdict

“UFO” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #17,747) as an abbreviation. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#17,747
frequency rank, German
2,159
“U” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - unbekanntes Flugobjekt (unidentifiziertes Flugobjekt, unidentifiziertes fliegendes Objekt)

Corpus desk

Index DE-ufo · UFO · German

UFO · rank #17,747 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,747
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,159
  • PHOTO-FINISH typischerweise

Nearest frequency peer: typischerweise (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “UFO”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “UFO” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

UFO vs um
0% similar
UFO vs us
0% similar
UFO vs up
0% similar

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

Key facts for UFO
PropertyValue
HeadwordUFO
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAbbreviation
IPA[ˈuːfo]
Letters3
Frequency rank#17,747
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “UFO” 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). UFO lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for UFO is neighbouring look-alikes ("um", "us", …), not just typos; it is anabbreviation pronounced [ˈuːfo]. Frequency #17,747 among 2,159 “U” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

UFO has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "um", "us", "up", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is UFO, spelled U-F-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    unbekanntes Flugobjekt (unidentifiziertes Flugobjekt, unidentifiziertes fliegendes Objekt)
  2. 2
    ein fremdes Raumschiff

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how UFO appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Das UFO am südlichen Himmel wurde von Spaziergängern am Nachmittag gesichtet.
  2. „Das Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) ist eine US-amerikanische Non-Profit-Organisation, welche sich die wissenschaftliche Erforschung des UFO-Phänomens zur Aufgabe gemacht hat.“

Synonyms

fremdesunbekanntesFremdflugkörperAlienraumschiffAlienschiffaußerirdisches

This word in other languages

UFO(English)ovni(Español)ovni(Français)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "UFO"?
"UFO" is spelled U-F-O. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈuːfo].
What does "UFO" mean?
As an abbreviation, "UFO" means: unbekanntes Flugobjekt (unidentifiziertes Flugobjekt, unidentifiziertes fliegendes Objekt)
What words are commonly confused with "UFO"?
"UFO" is commonly confused with "um", "us", "up". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "UFO"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "UFO" is [ˈuːfo]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "UFO" come from?
"UFO" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Vox#17,772SEC#17,720ATP#17,809did#17,854
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