Waffe

[ˈvafə]

/[ˈvafə]/ noun

The verdict

“Waffe” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #3,222 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,222
frequency rank, German
5
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ein technisches Hilfsmittel für die Jagd und den Kampf

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Waffe vs Ware
60% similar
Waffe vs warf
40% similar
Waffe vs wage
40% similar

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

Key facts for Waffe
PropertyValue
HeadwordWaffe
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈvafə]
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,222
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Waffe” 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). Waffe 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 Waffe is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈvafə]. Corpus data places it at rank #3,222 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for Waffe, with forms such as "awffe", "wafe", and "wafef". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Ware", "warf", "wage", 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 spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is Waffe, spelled W-A-F-F-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    ein technisches Hilfsmittel für die Jagd und den Kampf
  2. 2
    nur Plural in der Jägersprache:
  3. 3
    die Eckzähne beim Wildschwein
  4. 4
    die Klauen bei Luchs und Wildkatze
  5. 5
    die Krallen bei Greifvögeln

Synonyms

KampfgerätKampfgegenstandKriegsgerätKriegswerkzeugWirkmittelWehrHauerKlaueKralle

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: awffe,wafe,wafef,wfafe,wwaffe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Waffe - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

awffe2wafe1wafef2wfafe2wwaffe1
Edit distance from "Waffe"

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 "Waffe"?
"Waffe" is spelled W-A-F-F-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈvafə].
What does "Waffe" mean?
As a noun, "Waffe" means: ein technisches Hilfsmittel für die Jagd und den Kampf
What words are commonly confused with "Waffe"?
"Waffe" is commonly confused with "Ware", "warf", "wage". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Waffe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Waffe" is [ˈvafə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Waffe" come from?
"Waffe" 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.

Using “Waffe”

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

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