autochthon

[aʊ̯tɔxˈtoːn]

/[aʊ̯tɔxˈtoːn]/ adj

The verdict

“autochthon” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - im Lande selbst geboren

Corpus desk

Index DE-autochthon · autochthon · German

autochthon · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for autochthon
PropertyValue
Headwordautochthon
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[aʊ̯tɔxˈtoːn]
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „autochthon“ im Deutschen

autochthonliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

autochthon is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed [aʊ̯tɔxˈtoːn]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for autochthon, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is autochthon, spelled A-U-T-O-C-H-T-H-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    im Lande selbst geboren
  2. 2
    am Fundort entstanden, am Fundort vorkommend
  3. 3
    direkt im betroffenen Gewebe entstanden, ohne Einfluss von äußeren Ursachen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] mancher autochthon britische Komponist vergangener Zeiten [wäre] froh gewesen, wenn er auch auf dem Festland stärker zum Zuge gekommen wäre.
  2. Wichtig zu wissen ist, dass all das, die Heimat- und Trachtenvereine, die Volksfeste, das "G’wand" mit Dirndl und Lederhose, das ganze "Brauchtum" [in Bayern], einschließlich Königsjodler und Watschentanz, nichts autochthon Gewachsenes und Tradiertes ist.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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

How do you spell "autochthon"?
"autochthon" is spelled A-U-T-O-C-H-T-H-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is [aʊ̯tɔxˈtoːn].
What does "autochthon" mean?
As an adjective, "autochthon" means: im Lande selbst geboren
How do you pronounce "autochthon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "autochthon" is [aʊ̯tɔxˈtoːn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "autochthon" come from?
"autochthon" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list