absurd

[apˈzʊʁt]

/[apˈzʊʁt]/ adj

The verdict

“absurd” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #7,709 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#7,709
frequency rank, German
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - widersinnig, dem gesunden Menschenverstand widersprechend, abwegig, sinnlos

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

absurd vs Abwurf
50% similar
absurd vs absurde
86% similar
absurd vs absurden
75% similar

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

Key facts for absurd
PropertyValue
Headwordabsurd
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[apˈzʊʁt]
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,709
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “absurd” 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). absurd 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 absurd is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [apˈzʊʁt]. Corpus data places it at rank #7,709 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "widersinnig, dem gesunden Menschenverstand widersprechend, abwegig, sinnlos".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for absurd, with forms such as "abbsurd", "absrud", and "abssurd". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Abwurf", "absurde", "absurden", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is absurd, spelled A-B-S-U-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    widersinnig, dem gesunden Menschenverstand widersprechend, abwegig, sinnlos

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abbsurd,absrud,abssurd,absudr,absurdd,absurrd,abusrd,asburd,basurd

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

abbsurd1absrud2abssurd1absudr2absurdd1absurrd1abusrd2asburd2
Edit distance from "absurd"

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 "absurd"?
"absurd" is spelled A-B-S-U-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is [apˈzʊʁt].
What does "absurd" mean?
As an adjective, "absurd" means: widersinnig, dem gesunden Menschenverstand widersprechend, abwegig, sinnlos
What words are commonly confused with "absurd"?
"absurd" is commonly confused with "Abwurf", "absurde", "absurden". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "absurd"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "absurd" is [apˈzʊʁt]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "absurd" come from?
"absurd" 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 “absurd”

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

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