antreten

[ˈanˌtʁeːtn̩]

/[ˈanˌtʁeːtn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“antreten” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #5,907 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#5,907
frequency rank, German
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - etwas beginnen

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

antreten vs auftreten
78% similar
antreten vs austreten
78% similar
antreten vs anzutreten
80% similar

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

Key facts for antreten
PropertyValue
Headwordantreten
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈanˌtʁeːtn̩]
Letters8
Frequency rank#5,907
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “antreten” 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). antreten 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 antreten is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈanˌtʁeːtn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #5,907 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for antreten, with forms such as "anntreten", "anrteten", and "anterten". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "auftreten", "austreten", "anzutreten", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is antreten, spelled A-N-T-R-E-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas beginnen
  2. 2
    sich positionieren, zur Wahl stellen, sich etwas entgegenstellen
  3. 3
    mit den Füßen bearbeiten, damit der Boden fest wird
  4. 4
    erscheinen sich in einer bestimmten Ordnung präsentieren oder aufstellen
  5. 5
    den Spurt beschleunigen
  6. 6
    durch Betätigen des Anlassers den Motor starten

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: anntreten,anrteten,anterten,antreetn,antretenn,antretne,antretten,antrreten,antrteen,anttreten,atnreten,natreten

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of antreten - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

anntreten1anrteten2anterten2antreetn2antretenn1antretne2antretten1antrreten1
Edit distance from "antreten"

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 "antreten"?
"antreten" is spelled A-N-T-R-E-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈanˌtʁeːtn̩].
What does "antreten" mean?
As a verb, "antreten" means: etwas beginnen
What words are commonly confused with "antreten"?
"antreten" is commonly confused with "auftreten", "austreten", "anzutreten". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "antreten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "antreten" is [ˈanˌtʁeːtn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "antreten" come from?
"antreten" 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 “antreten”

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

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