basteln
[ˈbastl̩n]
The verdict
“basteln” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #8,988 in German word frequency and used as a verb.
- #8,988
- frequency rank, German
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 14
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - sich mit kleinen Handwerksarbeiten (zumeist aus Papier, Pappe oder einem anderen Material) aus Liebhaberei beschäftigen
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | basteln |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [ˈbastl̩n] |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #8,988 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 14 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “basteln” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for basteln is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈbastl̩n]. Corpus data places it at rank #8,988 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for basteln, with forms such as "absteln", "basetln", and "bassteln". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "besten", "bauten", "Betteln", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
No documented word history exists for this headword, 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 basteln, spelled B-A-S-T-E-L-N.
Definition
- 1sich mit kleinen Handwerksarbeiten (zumeist aus Papier, Pappe oder einem anderen Material) aus Liebhaberei beschäftigen
- 2etwas als Hobby durch kleinere Handwerksarbeiten herstellen
- 3kleinere handwerkliche oder technische Arbeiten an etwas vornehmen, um es zu verbessern, es zu reparieren oder umzugestalten
- 4an etwas arbeiten, etwas umgestalten, um es zu verbessern
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: absteln,basetln,bassteln,bastelln,bastelnn,bastenl,bastlen,bastteln,batseln,bbasteln,bsateln
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of basteln - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "basteln"?
What does "basteln" mean?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “basteln”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is B-A-S-T-E-L-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈbastl̩n] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “besten” - see the side-by-side comparison. basteln vs besten
- 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.