abtasten

[ˈapˌtastn̩]

/[ˈapˌtastn̩]/ verb

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

The verdict

“abtasten” is uncommon German (frequency #55,091 among 6,976 “A” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,091
frequency rank, German
6,976
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - etwas oder jemanden tastend untersuchen

Corpus desk

Index DE-abtasten · abtasten · German

abtasten · rank #55,091 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,091
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,976
  • PHOTO-FINISH abstammen

Nearest frequency peer: abstammen (-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.

Langschwanz-Ränge nahe „abtasten“

Dünnes Band: Balken invertieren den Rang, seltenere Formen wirken kürzer

corpus weight

What this shows Langschwanz-Sicht: wo „abtasten“ gegen ähnlich seltene deutsche Ränge sitzt.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for abtasten
PropertyValue
Headwordabtasten
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈapˌtastn̩]
Letters8
Frequency rank#55,091
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „abtasten“ im Deutschen

Von links nach rechts: die wenigen Träger des Alltags, dann der lange Schwanz kaum gebrauchter Formen.abtastenfällt in diesen Seltenheitsbereich:

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

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Seltene Nachbarn derselben Bandbreite: „abstammen“ (#55,090), „abzählen“ (#55,092), „abspielte“ (#55,089). Unter 6,976 „A“-Lemmata liegt „abtasten“ bei #55,091. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

abtasten is uncommon German at frequency #55,091 among 6,976 “A” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈapˌtastn̩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for abtasten, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is abtasten, spelled A-B-T-A-S-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas oder jemanden tastend untersuchen
  2. 2
    mithilfe von Strahlen untersuchen
  3. 3
    eine Oberfläche absuchen
  4. 4
    eine Situation, einen Gegner überprüfen und einschätzen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Es war normal, dass jeder nach Waffen abgetastet wurde, jedoch in sachlich distanzierter Abfertigung.
  2. Und sie darf dich im Rahmen einer Identitätsfestellung zur Eigensicherung nach gefährlichen Gegenständen und Waffen abtasten.

Synonyms

palpierenuntersuchenablesenscannenerkundensondieren

This word in other languages

search(English)tentar(Español)tâter(Français)apalpar(Português)

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 "abtasten"?
"abtasten" is spelled A-B-T-A-S-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈapˌtastn̩].
What does "abtasten" mean?
As a verb, "abtasten" means: etwas oder jemanden tastend untersuchen
How do you pronounce "abtasten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abtasten" is [ˈapˌtastn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "abtasten" come from?
"abtasten" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "abtasten", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

abzählen#55,092Aberdeen#55,085anbinden#55,113anführte#55,117

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list