altersgrau

[ˈaltɐsˌɡʁaʊ̯]

/[ˈaltɐsˌɡʁaʊ̯]/ adj

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - aufgrund von Alter ergraut/verblasst

Corpus desk

Index DE-altersgrau · altersgrau · German

altersgrau · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 altersgrau
PropertyValue
Headwordaltersgrau
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈaltɐsˌɡʁaʊ̯]
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „altersgrau“ im Deutschen

altersgrausitzt jenseits der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Formen, im Schwanz spezialisierten oder seltenen Wortschatzes.

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

Rare enough to double-check

altersgrau is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ˈaltɐsˌɡʁaʊ̯]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "aufgrund von Alter ergraut/verblasst".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for altersgrau, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is altersgrau, spelled A-L-T-E-R-S-G-R-A-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    aufgrund von Alter ergraut/verblasst

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. „Die altersgrauen Schriftzeichen schienen in seinem ungebildeten, aber regen Geist schwache Erinnerungen zu wecken, obwohl es ausgeschlossen war, dass er dergleichen jemals zuvor gesehen hatte.“
  2. „Sie ließ ihren Blick über die Brieffächer gleiten, dann über die schlanken kleinen Schubfächer. Schließlich blieb er wie gefesselt an dem großen, altersgrauen Buch mit der eisernen Schließe hängen.“

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 "altersgrau"?
"altersgrau" is spelled A-L-T-E-R-S-G-R-A-U. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈaltɐsˌɡʁaʊ̯].
What does "altersgrau" mean?
As an adjective, "altersgrau" means: aufgrund von Alter ergraut/verblasst
How do you pronounce "altersgrau"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "altersgrau" is [ˈaltɐsˌɡʁaʊ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "altersgrau" come from?
"altersgrau" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list