UV

[uːˈfaʊ̯]

/[uːˈfaʊ̯]/ abbrev

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

The verdict

“UV” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #12,613) as an abbreviation. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#12,613
frequency rank, German
2,159
“U” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - ultraviolett, Ultraviolett

Corpus desk

Index DE-uv · UV · German

UV · rank #12,613 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,613
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,159
  • PHOTO-FINISH ungewöhnlichen

Nearest frequency peer: ungewöhnlichen (-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 “UV”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “UV” 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 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

UV vs Uwe
33% similar
UV vs UWG
33% similar
UV vs UVP
67% similar

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

Key facts for UV
PropertyValue
HeadwordUV
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAbbreviation
IPA[uːˈfaʊ̯]
Letters2
Frequency rank#12,613
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Wo “UV” in der deutschen Häufigkeit sitzt

Die Häufigkeit läuft von den wenigen Alltagswörtern (links) bis zur langen, seltenen Schwanzseite (rechts).UVliegt hier:

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

Die Achse ist logarithmisch: jeder Tick markiert etwa zehnfach geringere Häufigkeit. In derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite liegen „ungewöhnlichen“ (#12,612), „Verbänden“ (#12,614), „unangenehme“ (#12,611). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for UV is neighbouring look-alikes ("Uwe", "UWG", …), not just typos; it is anabbreviation pronounced [uːˈfaʊ̯]. Frequency #12,613 among 2,159 “U” headwords. 4 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

UV doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Uwe", "UWG", "UVP", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is UV, spelled U-V.

Definition

  1. 1
    ultraviolett, Ultraviolett
  2. 2
    Umlaufvermögen
  3. 3
    Unabhängige Variable
  4. 4
    Unfallversicherung

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. UV-Strahlung kann für den Menschen gesundheitsschädlich sein.
  2. In der Bilanz der Müller & Co. KG wurde das UV zu niedrig angesetzt.

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 "UV"?
"UV" is spelled U-V. The IPA pronunciation is [uːˈfaʊ̯].
What does "UV" mean?
As an abbreviation, "UV" means: ultraviolett, Ultraviolett
What words are commonly confused with "UV"?
"UV" is commonly confused with "Uwe", "UWG", "UVP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "UV"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "UV" is [uːˈfaʊ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "UV" come from?
"UV" 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.

What to do next

You've looked up "UV". Here's where to go from here.

  • "UV" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Uwe". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #12,613 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "U" letter cohort. U–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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