abstrus

[apˈstʁuːs]

/[apˈstʁuːs]/ adj

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

The verdict

“abstrus” is uncommon German (frequency #65,949 among 6,976 “A” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,949
frequency rank, German
6,976
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - absonderlich, töricht

Corpus desk

Index DE-abstrus · abstrus · German

abstrus · rank #65,949 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #65,949
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,976
  • PHOTO-FINISH Absturzstelle

Nearest frequency peer: Absturzstelle (+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 “abstrus”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “abstrus” 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
Key facts for abstrus
PropertyValue
Headwordabstrus
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[apˈstʁuːs]
Letters7
Frequency rank#65,949
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “abstrus” 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).abstrus lands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

abstrus is uncommon German at frequency #65,949 among 6,976 “A” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed [apˈstʁuːs]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for abstrus, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is abstrus, spelled A-B-S-T-R-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    absonderlich, töricht
  2. 2
    schwer verständlich, verworren, ohne gedankliche Ordnung

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Der Rationalismus mit seinem Hasse gegen jeden Tiefsinn und gegen jede Mystik hatte sich gewöhnt, tiefsinniges Denken abstrus zu nennen, wenn er eine solche Denkrichtung tadeln wollte.
  2. Bei der Analyse der Lehre von Hegel vom ersten Unterscheidungsmerkmal des Begriffes und dem Hervorgehen des Begriffes aus dem Wesen, und des Wesens aus dem Sein, schrieb Lenin: „Die weitere Entwicklung des Allgemeinen, des Besonderen und des Einzelnen [bei Hegel] ist im höchsten Grad abstrakt und abstrus“.

Synonyms

absonderlichkraustörichtweltfremdverworrenunverständlichdiffuskonfus

Antonyms

vernünftigweiseklarmanifestdeutlichoffensichtlichverständlich

This word in other languages

abstruse(English)abstruso(Español)abscons(Français)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "abstrus"?
"abstrus" is spelled A-B-S-T-R-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is [apˈstʁuːs].
What does "abstrus" mean?
As an adjective, "abstrus" means: absonderlich, töricht
How do you pronounce "abstrus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abstrus" is [apˈstʁuːs]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "abstrus" come from?
"abstrus" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "abstrus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Zwitter#65,928zulasse#65,924anlockt#65,977Zufalls#65,918

What to do next

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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