abyss

[əˈbɪs]

/[əˈbɪs]/ noun

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

The verdict

“abyss” is uncommon German (frequency #82,450 among 113,935 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,450
frequency rank, German
113,935
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - großes Loch, unermessliche Tiefe, sich in die Tiefe erstreckender Raum, Leere: Abgrund, Schlund, Kluft

Key facts for abyss
PropertyValue
Headwordabyss
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[əˈbɪs]
Letters5
Frequency rank#82,450
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “abyss” 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). abyss lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

abyss is uncommon German at frequency #82,450 among 113,935 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [əˈbɪs]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

abyss doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is abyss, spelled A-B-Y-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    großes Loch, unermessliche Tiefe, sich in die Tiefe erstreckender Raum, Leere: Abgrund, Schlund, Kluft
  2. 2
    etwas, das endlos zu sein scheint und gefährlich oder frustrierend; großer Abstand: Abgrund, Kluft

Synonyms

chasmdeepgulf

This word in other languages

abysse(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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "abyss"?
"abyss" is spelled A-B-Y-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is [əˈbɪs].
What does "abyss" mean?
As a noun, "abyss" means: großes Loch, unermessliche Tiefe, sich in die Tiefe erstreckender Raum, Leere: Abgrund, Schlund, Kluft
How do you pronounce "abyss"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abyss" is [əˈbɪs]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "abyss" come from?
"abyss" 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.

Using “abyss”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is A-B-Y-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [əˈbɪs] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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