anstellen

[ˈanˌʃtɛlən]

/[ˈanˌʃtɛlən]/ verb

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

The verdict

“anstellen” has 12 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #7,718. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,718
frequency rank, German
6,976
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - einen Gegenstand an einen anderen anlehnen

Corpus desk

Index DE-anstellen · anstellen · German

anstellen · rank #7,718 · 12 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,718
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,976
  • PHOTO-FINISH Anweisungen

Nearest frequency peer: Anweisungen (+1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “anstellen”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “anstellen” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

anstellen vs Anteilen
67% similar
anstellen vs anstellt
78% similar
anstellen vs Antillen
67% similar

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

Key facts for anstellen
PropertyValue
Headwordanstellen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈanˌʃtɛlən]
Letters9
Frequency rank#7,718
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “anstellen” 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). anstellen lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around anstellen (IPA [ˈanˌʃtɛlən]), averb. Corpus frequency is #7,718 among 6,976 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for anstellen, with forms such as "annstellen", "ansetllen", and "ansstellen". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "Anteilen", "anstellt", "Antillen", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is anstellen, spelled A-N-S-T-E-L-L-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    einen Gegenstand an einen anderen anlehnen
  2. 2
    jemandem eine Arbeitsstelle geben
  3. 3
    etwas vollbringen
  4. 4
    bei bestimmten abstrakten Substantiven (immer im Plural) so viel wie tätigen, unternehmen, also die durch das Substantiv ausgedrückte Tätigkeit zur Ausführung bringen
  5. 5
    etwas (oft, aber nicht immer, Schlimmes) mit einer Person oder einem Gegenstand tun, wobei die Person oder der Gegenstand das passive Opfer (oder „Opfer“) ist
  6. 6
    einen Streich spielen, ein Malheur verursachen
  7. 7
    Helvetismus sowie einschalten
  8. 8
    sich einer Warteschlange anschließen
  9. 9
    sich in bestimmter Weise einer Aufgabe beziehungsweise einer Herausforderung stellen
  10. 10
    wehleidig herumjammern; um Schmerzen, Krankheiten und sonstige Beeinträchtigen des Wohlbefindens viel Aufhebens machen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Du musst die Leiter richtig anstellen.
  2. Er war bei einer Tochterfirma angestellt.

Synonyms

anlehnenbeistelleneinstellenanheuernengagierendingenbewerkstelligenfertigbringenschaffentätigenunternehmenveranstaltenausfressenanrichtenverzapfenanmachenanschaltenanknipseneinschalteneinreihenbenehmenführengebenverhaltenzieren

Antonyms

entlassenabstellenausstellenausmachenausknipsenausschaltendie Zähne zusammenbeißen

This word in other languages

employ(English)apoyar(Español)employer(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • annstellen
  • ansetllen
  • ansstellen
  • ansteleln
  • anstelen
  • anstellenn
  • anstellne
  • anstlelen
  • ansttellen
  • antsellen
  • asntellen
  • nastellen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

annstellen1ansetllen2ansstellen1ansteleln2anstelen1anstellenn1anstellne2anstlelen2
Edit distance from "anstellen"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "anstellen"?
"anstellen" is spelled A-N-S-T-E-L-L-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈanˌʃtɛlən].
What does "anstellen" mean?
As a verb, "anstellen" means: einen Gegenstand an einen anderen anlehnen
What words are commonly confused with "anstellen"?
"anstellen" is commonly confused with "Anteilen", "anstellt", "Antillen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "anstellen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anstellen" is [ˈanˌʃtɛlən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "anstellen" come from?
"anstellen" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "anstellen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Angreifer#7,716Akzeptanz#7,712beantragt#7,725beseitigt#7,728

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Artikeln12 variantsBenutzer12 variantsbewirken12 variantschallenge12 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "anstellen". Here's where to go from here.

  • "anstellen" maps to 14 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Anteilen". View pair
  • 12 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #7,718 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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