auf dem Holzweg sein
[aʊ̯f deːm ˈhɔlt͡sveːk zaɪ̯n]
The verdict
“auf dem Holzweg sein” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a phrase - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency German
- 20
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - sich verirren, Umwege machen, ein Ziel nicht richtig oder ein falsches Ziel ansteuern
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | auf dem Holzweg sein |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Phrase |
| IPA | [aʊ̯f deːm ˈhɔlt͡sveːk zaɪ̯n] |
| Letters | 20 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “auf dem Holzweg sein” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for auf dem Holzweg sein is 20 letters long, classified as a phrase, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [aʊ̯f deːm ˈhɔlt͡sveːk zaɪ̯n]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "sich verirren, Umwege machen, ein Ziel nicht richtig oder ein falsches Ziel ansteuern".
auf dem Holzweg sein doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is auf dem Holzweg sein, spelled A-U-F- -D-E-M- -H-O-L-Z-W-E-G- -S-E-I-N.
Definition
- 1sich verirren, Umwege machen, ein Ziel nicht richtig oder ein falsches Ziel ansteuern
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “auf dem Holzweg sein”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is A-U-F- -D-E-M- -H-O-L-Z-W-E-G- -S-E-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [aʊ̯f deːm ˈhɔlt͡sveːk zaɪ̯n] (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
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.