an sich

[an zɪç]

/[an zɪç]/ phrase

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - den Gegebenheiten als solchen, den Tatsachen als solchen, der Wirklichkeit als solcher entsprechend; kann aber bei Aussagen einen Widerspruch oder Einschränkungen suggerieren

Key facts for an sich
PropertyValue
Headwordan sich
LanguageGerman
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[an zɪç]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “an sich” sits in German frequency

an sich 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.

Rare enough to double-check

an sich is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed [an zɪç]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for an sich in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

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 an sich, spelled A-N- -S-I-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    den Gegebenheiten als solchen, den Tatsachen als solchen, der Wirklichkeit als solcher entsprechend; kann aber bei Aussagen einen Widerspruch oder Einschränkungen suggerieren
  2. 2
    an sich selbst
  3. 3
    Dinge, Erscheinungen außerhalb des Bewusstseins und/oder des Denkens

Synonyms

an und für sicheigentlichtatsächlichwirklich

This word in other languages

en soi(Français)

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 "an sich"?
"an sich" is spelled A-N- -S-I-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is [an zɪç].
What does "an sich" mean?
As a phrase, "an sich" means: den Gegebenheiten als solchen, den Tatsachen als solchen, der Wirklichkeit als solcher entsprechend; kann aber bei Aussagen einen Widerspruch oder Einschränkungen suggerieren
How do you pronounce "an sich"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "an sich" is [an zɪç]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "an sich" come from?
"an sich" 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.

Using “an sich”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is A-N- -S-I-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [an zɪç] (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