aber

[ˈaːbɐ]

/[ˈaːbɐ]/ conj

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

The verdict

“aber” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #31 in German word frequency and used as a conjunction.

#31
frequency rank, German
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - jedoch, dagegen

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

aber vs ae
50% similar
aber vs air
50% similar
aber vs are
50% similar

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

Key facts for aber
PropertyValue
Headwordaber
LanguageGerman
Part of speechConjunction
IPA[ˈaːbɐ]
Letters4
Frequency rank#31
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “aber” 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). aber 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 aber is 4 letters long, classified as a conjunction, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈaːbɐ]. Corpus data places it at rank #31 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 6 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 aber, with forms such as "abber", "aberr", and "abre". 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, "ae", "air", "are", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is aber, spelled A-B-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    jedoch, dagegen
  2. 2
    doch, indessen, jedoch
  3. 3
    allerdings, doch, jedoch
  4. 4
    jedoch
  5. 5
    Ausdruck eines Einwands, einer Entgegnung
  6. 6
    Im Althochdeutschen existierten avur, im 8. Jahrhundert auch afa und afar als Adverb und Konjunktion. Diese Formen sind genau wie das mittelhochdeutsche aber und aver, das mittelniederdeutsche āver, ōver und ēver ‚wiederum, abermals; aber, dagegen‘, die verwandte gotische Präposition afar ‚nach‘, das in Zusammensetzungen gebrauchte altnordische und mundartliche norwegische aur- ‚hinter, unter‘ sowie vermutlich auch das altnordische afar- ^(→ non) ‚besonders, sehr‘ alte Komparativbildungen zum indoeuropäischen *apu, *apo ‚ab, weg‘. Hierher gehören auch das altindische अपरम् (aparám) ^(→ sa) ‚später, künftig‘, das awestische Adjektiv apara- ‚hinterer; folgender, zweiter (in der Reihenfolge); späterer, künftiger‘, das altsächsische aƀaro sowie das altenglische eafora ^(→ ang) ‚Nachkomme‘. Hinsichtlich der Bedeutung ergibt sich aus der Etymologie, dass aber anfangs für ‚später, weiter entfernt‘ gestanden hat. Hieraus entstand im Deutschen die Bedeutung ‚wieder, ein weiteres Mal‘ als Ausdruck von Wiederholungen. Ausgehend von der Wiederholung konnte sich die Bedeutung dann auch auf die Bezeichnung von Gegensätzen ausdehnen, was in Bildungen wie Aberglaube und Aberwitz erkennbar ist, die jeweils für das Gegenteil ihres Grundwortes stehen. Im Althochdeutschen sind die Bedeutungen hinsichtlich Wiederholung und Gegensatz bereits ausgebildet. Die Verwendung von aber als Konjunktion kommt im Spätalthochdeutschen auf.

Synonyms

dagegenhingegenindesindessenjedochdochindesindessenjedochallerdingsdochjedochjedoch

This word in other languages

but(English)pero(Español)mais(Français)mas(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abber,aberr,abre,aebr,baer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of aber - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

abber1aberr1abre2aebr2baer2
Edit distance from "aber"

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 "aber"?
"aber" is spelled A-B-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈaːbɐ].
What does "aber" mean?
As a conjunction, "aber" means: jedoch, dagegen
What words are commonly confused with "aber"?
"aber" is commonly confused with "ae", "air", "are". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "aber"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aber" is [ˈaːbɐ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "aber" come from?
"aber" 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.

Using “aber”

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

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