ui

[ʊɪ̯]

/[ʊɪ̯]/ intj

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

The verdict

“ui” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #13,713) as an interjection. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#13,713
frequency rank, German
2,159
“U” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Ausdruck des Bestaunens

Corpus desk

Index DE-ui · ui · German

ui · rank #13,713 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,713
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,159
  • PHOTO-FINISH Tierschutz

Nearest frequency peer: Tierschutz (-2 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 “ui”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “ui” 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).

ui vs um
50% similar
ui vs us
50% similar
ui vs up
50% similar

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

Key facts for ui
PropertyValue
Headwordui
LanguageGerman
Part of speechInterjection
IPA[ʊɪ̯]
Letters2
Frequency rank#13,713
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ui” 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). ui 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 ui is neighbouring look-alikes ("um", "us", …), not just typos; it is aninterjection pronounced [ʊɪ̯]. Frequency #13,713 among 2,159 “U” headwords. Gloss: "Ausdruck des Bestaunens".

ui has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "um", "us", "up", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is ui, spelled U-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ausdruck des Bestaunens

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Ui hast du aber schöne Haare!

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 "ui"?
"ui" is spelled U-I. The IPA pronunciation is [ʊɪ̯].
What does "ui" mean?
As an interjection, "ui" means: Ausdruck des Bestaunens
What words are commonly confused with "ui"?
"ui" 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 "ui"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ui" is [ʊɪ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ui" come from?
"ui" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.
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