an und für sich

[an ʊnt fyːɐ̯ zɪç]

/[an ʊnt fyːɐ̯ zɪç]/ phrase

The verdict

“an und für 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
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - eigentlich, im Grunde

Corpus desk

Index DE-an-und-fur-sich · an und für sich · German

an und für sich · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 15 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 an und für sich
PropertyValue
Headwordan und für sich
LanguageGerman
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[an ʊnt fyːɐ̯ zɪç]
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „an und für sich“ im Deutschen

an und für sichliegt 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

an und für sich is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed [an ʊnt fyːɐ̯ zɪç]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "eigentlich, im Grunde".

an und für sich doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is an und für sich, spelled A-N- -U-N-D- -F-Ü-R- -S-I-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    eigentlich, im Grunde

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Das neue Verfahren bringt an und für sich keine Vorteile.

Synonyms

eigentlichletztlichPrinzipim Grunde genommen

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 und für sich"?
"an und für sich" is spelled A-N- -U-N-D- -F-Ü-R- -S-I-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is [an ʊnt fyːɐ̯ zɪç].
What does "an und für sich" mean?
As a phrase, "an und für sich" means: eigentlich, im Grunde
How do you pronounce "an und für sich"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "an und für sich" is [an ʊnt fyːɐ̯ zɪç]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "an und für sich" come from?
"an und für sich" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list