Angst

[aŋst]

/[aŋst]/ noun

The verdict

“Angst” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #578 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#578
frequency rank, German
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Gefühl der (existentiellen) Furcht oder Sorge, etwa bei einer Bedrohung

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Angst vs ans
40% similar
Angst vs ant
40% similar
Angst vs Anus
60% similar

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

Key facts for Angst
PropertyValue
HeadwordAngst
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[aŋst]
Letters5
Frequency rank#578
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Angst” 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). Angst 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 Angst is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [aŋst]. Corpus data places it at rank #578 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Gefühl der (existentiellen) Furcht oder Sorge, etwa bei einer Bedrohung".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for Angst, with forms such as "agnst", "anggst", and "angsst". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "ans", "ant", "Anus", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is Angst, spelled A-N-G-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Gefühl der (existentiellen) Furcht oder Sorge, etwa bei einer Bedrohung

Synonyms

Antonyms

FreudeFurchtlosigkeitGelassenheitMut

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: agnst,anggst,angsst,angstt,angts,anngst,ansgt,nagst

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Angst - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

agnst2anggst1angsst1angstt1angts2anngst1ansgt2nagst2
Edit distance from "Angst"

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 "Angst"?
"Angst" is spelled A-N-G-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is [aŋst].
What does "Angst" mean?
As a noun, "Angst" means: Gefühl der (existentiellen) Furcht oder Sorge, etwa bei einer Bedrohung
What words are commonly confused with "Angst"?
"Angst" is commonly confused with "ans", "ant", "Anus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Angst"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Angst" is [aŋst]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Angst" come from?
"Angst" 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 “Angst”

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

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