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backen

German, verb

backen is spelled B-A-C-K-E-N (6 letters) and appears 11 times per million words in written German, the 6,291st most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Backen is a German verb meaning “to bake; to roast” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Backen is a different word: “Substantivised form of backen: baking”. The German Wiktionary defines it as “im Ofen erhitzen”.

What does backen mean in English?

verb

  1. 1

    to bake; to roast

    Der Bäcker backt jeden Morgen 30 Laib Brot.

  2. 2

    colloquialto fry

  3. 3

    to fire

    Die Tonfigur muss mindestens zwei Stunden im Ofen backen.

  4. 4

    to stick together; to cake.

    Der Schnee backte gestern besser.

  5. 5

    to stick (something to something else).

noun

as Backen
  1. 1

    neuterSubstantivised form of backen: baking

noun

as Backen
  1. 1

    feminineplural of Backe

Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How German dictionaries define it

verb: 1. im Ofen erhitzen 2. im Ofen erhitzt werden 3. durch Ofenhitze trocken und haltbar machen; dörren 4. in der Pfanne in Fett braten

verb: 1. kleben, aneinander haften

noun: 1. Backe, Back, Wange 2. ein Teil, ein Seitenteil eines zweigliedrigen Körpers 3. ein Teil einer Sprungschanze, der Schanzentisch, der Sprungberg

noun: 1. ein Vorgang, eine Tätigkeit, ein Prozess in dem gebacken wird

The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.

Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.

Forms of backen

  • backt present singular third-person
  • bäckt present singular third-person
  • backte past
  • buk past
  • gebacken participle past
  • gebackt participle past
  • büke past subjunctive
  • haben auxiliary
  • backend participle present
  • backe first-person indicative present
  • backst indicative present second-person
  • bäckst indicative present second-person
  • backest second-person singular subjunctive
  • backet plural second-person subjunctive
  • backten first-person indicative plural
  • buken first-person indicative plural
  • büken first-person formal plural
  • backtest indicative preterite second-person

Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).

English words that translate to backen

Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.

How common is backen in German?

backen appears 11 times per million words in written German.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

What to look up after backen