ciel

[sjɛl]

/[sjɛl]/ noun

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

The verdict

“ciel” is uncommon German (frequency #74,446 among 20,081 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,446
frequency rank, German
20,081
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - das von der Erdoberfläche aus durch die Atmosphäre mit Blick in Richtung des Weltraums gesehene Panorama; Himmel

Key facts for ciel
PropertyValue
Headwordciel
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[sjɛl]
Letters4
Frequency rank#74,446
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ciel” 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). ciel lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

ciel is uncommon German at frequency #74,446 among 20,081 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [sjɛl]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for ciel in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is ciel, spelled C-I-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    das von der Erdoberfläche aus durch die Atmosphäre mit Blick in Richtung des Weltraums gesehene Panorama; Himmel
  2. 2
    der mythologische Bereich des Göttlichen; Himmel

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 "ciel"?
"ciel" is spelled C-I-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is [sjɛl].
What does "ciel" mean?
As a noun, "ciel" means: das von der Erdoberfläche aus durch die Atmosphäre mit Blick in Richtung des Weltraums gesehene Panorama; Himmel
How do you pronounce "ciel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ciel" is [sjɛl]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ciel" come from?
"ciel" 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 “ciel”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is C-I-E-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [sjɛl] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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