albern

[ˈalbɐn]

/[ˈalbɐn]/ adj

The verdict

“albern” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #11,585 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#11,585
frequency rank, German
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - in unpassender und dummer Art lustig

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

albern vs allen
67% similar
albern vs alten
67% similar
albern vs aller
67% similar

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

Key facts for albern
PropertyValue
Headwordalbern
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈalbɐn]
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,585
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “albern” 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). albern 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 albern is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈalbɐn]. Corpus data places it at rank #11,585 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for albern, with forms such as "ablern", "albbern", and "albenr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "allen", "alten", "aller", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is albern, spelled A-L-B-E-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    in unpassender und dummer Art lustig
  2. 2
    kindisch, in der Situation unangebracht

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ablern,albbern,albenr,albernn,alberrn,albren,alebrn,allbern

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ablern2albbern1albenr2albernn1alberrn1albren2alebrn2allbern1
Edit distance from "albern"

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 "albern"?
"albern" is spelled A-L-B-E-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈalbɐn].
What does "albern" mean?
As an adjective, "albern" means: in unpassender und dummer Art lustig
What words are commonly confused with "albern"?
"albern" is commonly confused with "allen", "alten", "aller". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "albern"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "albern" is [ˈalbɐn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "albern" come from?
"albern" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “albern”

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

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