-chen

[çən]

/[çən]/ suffix

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

The verdict

“-chen” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a suffix. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Wortbildungselement der Verkleinerung (Bestandteil von Diminutivformen), das sächliche Substantive bildet

Corpus desk

Index DE-chen · -chen · German

-chen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "-" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for -chen
PropertyValue
Headword-chen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechSuffix
IPA[çən]
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Wo “-chen” in der deutschen Häufigkeit sitzt

-chensitzt jenseits der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Formen, im Schwanz spezialisierten oder seltenen Wortschatzes.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

-chen is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as asuffix, transcribed [çən]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Wortbildungselement der Verkleinerung (Bestandteil von Diminutivformen), das sächliche Substantive bildet".

No misspelling variants are generated for -chen in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is -chen, spelled --C-H-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Wortbildungselement der Verkleinerung (Bestandteil von Diminutivformen), das sächliche Substantive bildet

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how -chen appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Verkleinerungen durch die Nachsilbe -chen sind im Norddeutschen am häufigsten, im Mitteldeutschen indifferent und dort oft im Wechsel mit -lein und dann letztlich im Süddeutschen kaum vertreten.
  2. »In dem Häuschen wohnt ein Männchen, das man nur ganz selten sieht.« So fängt das Märchen an.

This word in other languages

-ling(English)-ette(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "-chen"?
"-chen" is spelled --C-H-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [çən].
What does "-chen" mean?
As a suffix, "-chen" means: Wortbildungselement der Verkleinerung (Bestandteil von Diminutivformen), das sächliche Substantive bildet
How do you pronounce "-chen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "-chen" is [çən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "-chen" come from?
"-chen" 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.

What to do next

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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