Bahn

[baːn]

/[baːn]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Bahn” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #774 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#774
frequency rank, German
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Strecke, die von einem Körper in einer vorgeschriebenen Richtung durchmessen wird

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Bahn vs BH
25% similar
Bahn vs BN
25% similar
Bahn vs bin
25% similar

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

Key facts for Bahn
PropertyValue
HeadwordBahn
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[baːn]
Letters4
Frequency rank#774
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Bahn” 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). Bahn lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Bahn is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [baːn]. Corpus data places it at rank #774 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for Bahn, with forms such as "abhn", "bahhn", and "bahnn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "BH", "BN", "bin", 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 its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is Bahn, spelled B-A-H-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Strecke, die von einem Körper in einer vorgeschriebenen Richtung durchmessen wird
  2. 2
    in einer bestimmten Länge und Breite vorgegebene Spur für Fahrzeuge
  3. 3
    festgelegte Strecke für sportliche Wettkämpfe
  4. 4
    ein schienengebundenes Verkehrsmittel
  5. 5
    Kurzform für die Eisenbahn
  6. 6
    Kurzform für ein Unternehmen, das [5] betreibt
  7. 7
    ein breiter Streifen oder ein vorgeschnittenes Teilstück aus einem bestimmten Material
  8. 8
    ein glatter, flächiger Teil eines Werkzeugs, das mit dem Werkstoff in Berührung kommt, zum Beispiel die Fläche des Amboss' oder des Hammers
  9. 9
    bestimmte strukturierte Verläufe im menschlichen Körper: siehe zum Beispiel Blutbahn, Nervenbahn
  10. 10
    das Bild eines Mengenelementes unter der Operation einer Gruppe
  11. 11
    die Orbitalbahn
  12. 12
    die Umlaufbahn

Synonyms

KursRichtungStreckeGeleiseGleisSpurStraßePisteTramZugDBStreifenAderMarkReizleitungssystemVeneOrbit

Antonyms

PunktUngebahntesBusKFZ

This word in other languages

path(English)dirección(Español)ligne(Français)direção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abhn,bahhn,bahnn,banh,bbahn,bhan

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Bahn - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

abhn2bahhn1bahnn1banh2bbahn1bhan2
Edit distance from "Bahn"

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 "Bahn"?
"Bahn" is spelled B-A-H-N. The IPA pronunciation is [baːn].
What does "Bahn" mean?
As a noun, "Bahn" means: Strecke, die von einem Körper in einer vorgeschriebenen Richtung durchmessen wird
What words are commonly confused with "Bahn"?
"Bahn" is commonly confused with "BH", "BN", "bin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Bahn"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Bahn" is [baːn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Bahn" come from?
"Bahn" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “Bahn”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is B-A-H-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [baːn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “BH” - see the side-by-side comparison. Bahn vs BH
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list