arbeiten

[ˈaʁbaɪ̯tn̩]

/[ˈaʁbaɪ̯tn̩]/ verb

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

The verdict

“arbeiten” has 11 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #348. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#348
frequency rank, German
113,935
“A” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - geistig oder körperlich tätig sein, zielstrebig handeln, um so ein Ergebnis zu erzielen

Corpus desk

Index DE-arbeiten · arbeiten · German

arbeiten · rank #348 · 11 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #348
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 113,935
  • PHOTO-FINISH sollten

Nearest frequency peer: sollten (-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 “arbeiten”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “arbeiten” 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 May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

arbeiten vs arbeitet
88% similar
arbeiten vs Arbeiter
75% similar
arbeiten vs arbeitete
78% similar

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

Key facts for arbeiten
PropertyValue
Headwordarbeiten
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈaʁbaɪ̯tn̩]
Letters8
Frequency rank#348
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “arbeiten” 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). arbeiten 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 11 spelling variants around arbeiten (IPA [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #348 among 113,935 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for arbeiten, with forms such as "abreiten", "arbbeiten", and "arbeietn". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "arbeitet", "Arbeiter", "arbeitete", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is arbeiten, spelled A-R-B-E-I-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    geistig oder körperlich tätig sein, zielstrebig handeln, um so ein Ergebnis zu erzielen
  2. 2
    in Betrieb sein, zum Beispiel einer Maschine oder Anlage
  3. 3
    gedanklich beschäftigen, ein innerer mit Gefühlen verbundender Prozess
  4. 4
    Holz oder anderes Material: sich im Wechsel von Temperatur und Feuchtigkeit verformen
  5. 5
    in einem Beschäftigungsverhältnis stehen, erwerbstätig sein

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Wir arbeiten gemeinsam an einem Wörterbuch.
  2. „Der Vater arbeitete in einer Kleiderfabrik und betrieb zu Hause mit seiner Frau in der Wohnung eine Schneiderei.“

Synonyms

ackernbarabernhandelnhackelnmalochenrabottenrackernschaffenschuftenbetätigenwerkelnwerkenwirkenfunktionierengehenlaufenfunzengärenrumoren

Antonyms

erholenfaulenzenruhendefektkaputtausgestellt seinabgestellt sein

This word in other languages

work(English)trabajar(Español)travailler(Français)trabalhar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abreiten
  • arbbeiten
  • arbeietn
  • arbeitenn
  • arbeitne
  • arbeitten
  • arbetien
  • arbieten
  • arebiten
  • arrbeiten
  • rabeiten

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

abreiten2arbbeiten1arbeietn2arbeitenn1arbeitne2arbeitten1arbetien2arbieten2
Edit distance from "arbeiten"

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 May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "arbeiten"?
"arbeiten" is spelled A-R-B-E-I-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tn̩].
What does "arbeiten" mean?
As a verb, "arbeiten" means: geistig oder körperlich tätig sein, zielstrebig handeln, um so ein Ergebnis zu erzielen
What words are commonly confused with "arbeiten"?
"arbeiten" is commonly confused with "arbeitet", "Arbeiter", "arbeitete". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "arbeiten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "arbeiten" is [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "arbeiten" come from?
"arbeiten" 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 "arbeiten", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bekommen#336Beispiel#389erhalten#418deutlich#429

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

möglich11 variantsdeshalb11 variantsProblem11 variantsStunden11 variants
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