de facto
[deː ˈfakto]
The verdict
“de facto” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as an adverb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency German
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - nach Tatsachen, in der Praxis, tatsächlich
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | de facto |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | [deː ˈfakto] |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “de facto” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for de facto is 8 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [deː ˈfakto]. 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: "nach Tatsachen, in der Praxis, tatsächlich".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for de facto, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is de facto, spelled D-E- -F-A-C-T-O.
Definition
- 1nach Tatsachen, in der Praxis, tatsächlich
Antonyms
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 “de facto”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is D-E- -F-A-C-T-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [deː ˈfakto] (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.