ansteuern

[ˈanˌʃtɔɪ̯ɐn]

/[ˈanˌʃtɔɪ̯ɐn]/ verb

The verdict

“ansteuern” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #41,027 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#41,027
frequency rank, German
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - einen Kurs, die Richtung auf etwas nehmen; auf etwas zusteuern; etwas zum Ziel nehmen

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ansteuern vs anstehen
78% similar
ansteuern vs anfeuern
78% similar
ansteuern vs anheuern
78% similar

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

Key facts for ansteuern
PropertyValue
Headwordansteuern
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈanˌʃtɔɪ̯ɐn]
Letters9
Frequency rank#41,027
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ansteuern” 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). ansteuern 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 ansteuern is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈanˌʃtɔɪ̯ɐn]. Corpus data places it at rank #41,027 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "einen Kurs, die Richtung auf etwas nehmen; auf etwas zusteuern; etwas zum Ziel nehmen".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for ansteuern, with forms such as "annsteuern", "ansetuern", and "anssteuern". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "anstehen", "anfeuern", "anheuern", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is ansteuern, spelled A-N-S-T-E-U-E-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    einen Kurs, die Richtung auf etwas nehmen; auf etwas zusteuern; etwas zum Ziel nehmen

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: annsteuern,ansetuern,anssteuern,ansteeurn,ansteuenr,ansteuernn,ansteuerrn,ansteuren,anstteuern,anstueern,antseuern,asnteuern,nasteuern

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ansteuern - 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.

annsteuern1ansetuern2anssteuern1ansteeurn2ansteuenr2ansteuernn1ansteuerrn1ansteuren2
Edit distance from "ansteuern"

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 "ansteuern"?
"ansteuern" is spelled A-N-S-T-E-U-E-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈanˌʃtɔɪ̯ɐn].
What does "ansteuern" mean?
As a verb, "ansteuern" means: einen Kurs, die Richtung auf etwas nehmen; auf etwas zusteuern; etwas zum Ziel nehmen
What words are commonly confused with "ansteuern"?
"ansteuern" is commonly confused with "anstehen", "anfeuern", "anheuern". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ansteuern"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ansteuern" is [ˈanˌʃtɔɪ̯ɐn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ansteuern" come from?
"ansteuern" 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 “ansteuern”

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

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