BCE

abbrev

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

The verdict

“BCE” is an uncommon German word, ranked #84,992 in German word frequency and used as an abbreviation.

#84,992
frequency rank, German
3
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Before the Common Era

Key facts for BCE
PropertyValue
HeadwordBCE
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAbbreviation
Letters3
Frequency rank#84,992
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “BCE” 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). BCE 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 BCE is 3 letters long, classified as an abbreviation. Corpus data places it at rank #84,992 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for BCE, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is BCE, spelled B-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Before the Common Era
  2. 2
    Before the Christian Era
  3. 3
    Before the Current Era
  4. 4
    deutsch wörtlich vor der Gewöhnlichen/Christlichen/Gegenwärtigen Ära, sinngemäß v. Chr., v. d. Z.

Synonyms

BC

Antonyms

CEAD

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 "BCE"?
"BCE" is spelled B-C-E.
What does "BCE" mean?
As an abbreviation, "BCE" means: Before the Common Era
What language does "BCE" come from?
"BCE" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “BCE”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is B-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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