abstehen

[ˈapˌʃteːən]

/[ˈapˌʃteːən]/ verb

The verdict

“abstehen” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - nach außen weisen; Platz haben

Corpus desk

Index DE-abstehen · abstehen · German

abstehen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for abstehen
PropertyValue
Headwordabstehen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈapˌʃteːən]
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „abstehen“ im Deutschen

abstehenliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

abstehen is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈapˌʃteːən]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for abstehen, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is abstehen, spelled A-B-S-T-E-H-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    nach außen weisen; Platz haben
  2. 2
    etwas nicht tun; von etwas Abstand nehmen
  3. 3
    lange Zeit herumstehen (ohne dass etwas Besonderes passiert)
  4. 4
    eingehen, absterben

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Mit Gel hilft man nach, damit die Haare abstehen.
  2. Die Pflänzchen sollen cirka 3 cm voneinander abstehen.

Antonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "abstehen"?
"abstehen" is spelled A-B-S-T-E-H-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈapˌʃteːən].
What does "abstehen" mean?
As a verb, "abstehen" means: nach außen weisen; Platz haben
How do you pronounce "abstehen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abstehen" is [ˈapˌʃteːən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "abstehen" come from?
"abstehen" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list