beinahe

[ˈbaɪ̯naːə]

/[ˈbaɪ̯naːə]/ adv

The verdict

“beinahe” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #3,105 in German word frequency and used as an adverb.

#3,105
frequency rank, German
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - fast, sehr nahe an etwas heran

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

beinahe vs Beine
57% similar
beinahe vs binäre
57% similar
beinahe vs Beinamen
63% similar

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

Key facts for beinahe
PropertyValue
Headwordbeinahe
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdverb
IPA[ˈbaɪ̯naːə]
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,105
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “beinahe” 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). beinahe 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 beinahe is 7 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈbaɪ̯naːə]. Corpus data places it at rank #3,105 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "fast, sehr nahe an etwas heran".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for beinahe, with forms such as "bbeinahe", "beianhe", and "beinaeh". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Beine", "binäre", "Beinamen", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is beinahe, spelled B-E-I-N-A-H-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    fast, sehr nahe an etwas heran

Synonyms

beinah

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbeinahe,beianhe,beinaeh,beinahhe,beinhae,beinnahe,beniahe,bienahe,ebinahe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbeinahe1beianhe2beinaeh2beinahhe1beinhae2beinnahe1beniahe2bienahe2
Edit distance from "beinahe"

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 "beinahe"?
"beinahe" is spelled B-E-I-N-A-H-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈbaɪ̯naːə].
What does "beinahe" mean?
As an adverb, "beinahe" means: fast, sehr nahe an etwas heran
What words are commonly confused with "beinahe"?
"beinahe" is commonly confused with "Beine", "binäre", "Beinamen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "beinahe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "beinahe" is [ˈbaɪ̯naːə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "beinahe" come from?
"beinahe" 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.

Using “beinahe”

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

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