apply

[əˈplaɪ]

/[əˈplaɪ]/ verb

The verdict

“apply” is uncommon German (frequency #92,588 among 113,935 “A” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#92,588
frequency rank, German
113,935
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - etwas für einen bestimmten Zweck benutzen: anwenden

Key facts for apply
PropertyValue
Headwordapply
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[əˈplaɪ]
Letters5
Frequency rank#92,588
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “apply” 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). apply lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

apply is uncommon German at frequency #92,588 among 113,935 “A” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [əˈplaɪ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for apply, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is apply, spelled A-P-P-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas für einen bestimmten Zweck benutzen: anwenden
  2. 2
    etwas für einen bestimmten Zweck benutzen: anwenden
  3. 3
    etwas für einen bestimmten Zweck benutzen: anwenden
  4. 4
    seinen Sinn, seine Aufmerksamkeit auf etwas richten, sich einer Sache widmen
  5. 5
    sich an eine Person oder Institution wenden mit einer förmlichen Anfrage, einem Antrag oder einer Bewerbung, meist schriftlich: sich bewerben
  6. 6
    Anwendung finden, gültig oder passend sein: gelten

Synonyms

employexertuseutilizeutilisedevoterelatepertain

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 "apply"?
"apply" is spelled A-P-P-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is [əˈplaɪ].
What does "apply" mean?
As a verb, "apply" means: etwas für einen bestimmten Zweck benutzen: anwenden
How do you pronounce "apply"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "apply" is [əˈplaɪ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "apply" come from?
"apply" 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.

Using “apply”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is A-P-P-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [əˈplaɪ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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