adopt

[ədɒpt]

/[ədɒpt]/ verb

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - adoptieren, (an Kindes Statt) annehmen

Corpus desk

Index DE-adopt · adopt · German

adopt · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 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 adopt
PropertyValue
Headwordadopt
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ədɒpt]
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „adopt“ im Deutschen

adoptliegt 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

adopt is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [ədɒpt]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for adopt, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is adopt, spelled A-D-O-P-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    adoptieren, (an Kindes Statt) annehmen
  2. 2
    annehmen, übernehmen, einführen, (sich ein Verfahren) zu eigen machen, (Handlungsweise) wählen, (Maßregeln) ergreifen
  3. 3
    (politisch; einer Gesetzesvorlage) zustimmen
  4. 4
    (politisch; einen Kandidaten für die nächste Wahl) annehmen
  5. 5
    stibitzen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She was adopted at the age of two.
  2. I adopt your suggestions for my database schema.

Synonyms

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 "adopt"?
"adopt" is spelled A-D-O-P-T. The IPA pronunciation is [ədɒpt].
What does "adopt" mean?
As a verb, "adopt" means: adoptieren, (an Kindes Statt) annehmen
How do you pronounce "adopt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "adopt" is [ədɒpt]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "adopt" come from?
"adopt" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list