Countertenor
[ˈkaʊ̯ntɐteˌnoːɐ̯]
The verdict
“Countertenor” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency German
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Sänger, der mit Hilfe einer durch Brustresonanz verstärkten Kopfstimmen- beziehungsweise Falsetttechnik in Alt- oder sogar Sopran-Lage singt
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Countertenor |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [ˈkaʊ̯ntɐteˌnoːɐ̯] |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Countertenor” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for Countertenor is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈkaʊ̯ntɐteˌnoːɐ̯]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Sänger, der mit Hilfe einer durch Brustresonanz verstärkten Kopfstimmen- beziehungsweise Falsetttechnik in Alt- oder sogar Sopran-Lage singt".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Countertenor, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Countertenor, spelled C-O-U-N-T-E-R-T-E-N-O-R.
Definition
- 1Sänger, der mit Hilfe einer durch Brustresonanz verstärkten Kopfstimmen- beziehungsweise Falsetttechnik in Alt- oder sogar Sopran-Lage singt
Synonyms
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
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Using “Countertenor”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is C-O-U-N-T-E-R-T-E-N-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈkaʊ̯ntɐteˌnoːɐ̯] (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
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.