afflict

[əˈflɪkt]

/[əˈflɪkt]/ verb

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

The verdict

“afflict” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Leid(en) hervorrufen, plagen; heimsuchen, befallen

Key facts for afflict
PropertyValue
Headwordafflict
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[əˈflɪkt]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “afflict” sits in German frequency

afflict falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for afflict is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [əˈflɪkt]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Leid(en) hervorrufen, plagen; heimsuchen, befallen".

Zero misspellings are on record for afflict in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is afflict, spelled A-F-F-L-I-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Leid(en) hervorrufen, plagen; heimsuchen, befallen

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 "afflict"?
"afflict" is spelled A-F-F-L-I-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is [əˈflɪkt].
What does "afflict" mean?
As a verb, "afflict" means: Leid(en) hervorrufen, plagen; heimsuchen, befallen
How do you pronounce "afflict"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "afflict" is [əˈflɪkt]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "afflict" come from?
"afflict" 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 “afflict”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is A-F-F-L-I-C-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [əˈflɪkt] (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
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