Coltan

[…]

/[…]/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Mineral, das hauptsächlich in Zentralafrika vorkommt

Corpus desk

Index DE-coltan · Coltan · German

Coltan · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" 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 Coltan
PropertyValue
HeadwordColtan
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[…]
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Coltan“ im Deutschen

Coltanliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

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

Rare enough to double-check

Coltan is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed […]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Mineral, das hauptsächlich in Zentralafrika vorkommt".

No generated misspelling entries exist for Coltan in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Coltan, spelled C-O-L-T-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mineral, das hauptsächlich in Zentralafrika vorkommt

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. „In diesen Regionen habe der illegale Abbau und der Handel mit Gold, Coltan und Zinnerzen dazu geführt, dass ‚Rebellengruppen ein ökonomisches Eigeninteresse daran hatten, die Kontrolle über die Bergbauregionen zu behalten‘.“
  2. „Coltan ist Kongos Gold. Denn aus dem Erz Coltan wird das seltene Metall Tantal gewonnen, ohne das die moderne Welt nicht modern wäre: Tantal wird in Kondensatoren für Digitalkameras und Spielkonsolen, für Laptops, Flachbildschirme und Mobiltelefone verwendet.“

This word in other languages

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 "Coltan"?
"Coltan" is spelled C-O-L-T-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is […].
What does "Coltan" mean?
As a noun, "Coltan" means: Mineral, das hauptsächlich in Zentralafrika vorkommt
How do you pronounce "Coltan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Coltan" is […]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Coltan" come from?
"Coltan" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list