ui

[ʊɪ̯]

/[ʊɪ̯]/ intj

The verdict

“ui” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #13,713 in German word frequency and used as an interjection.

#13,713
frequency rank, German
2
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ausdruck des Bestaunens

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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for ui is 2 letters long, classified as an interjection, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ʊɪ̯]. Corpus data places it at rank #13,713 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "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

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 "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.

Using “ui”

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

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