define

[dɪˈfaɪn]

/[dɪˈfaɪn]/ verb

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

The verdict

“define” is uncommon German (frequency #99,654 among 2,764 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#99,654
frequency rank, German
2,764
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - definieren, abgrenzen, abstecken

Corpus desk

Index DE-define · define · German

define · rank #99,654 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #99,654
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,764
  • PHOTO-FINISH dehnbarer

Nearest frequency peer: dehnbarer (+1 rank slots)

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.

Langschwanz-Ränge nahe „define“

Dünnes Band: Balken invertieren den Rang, seltenere Formen wirken kürzer

corpus weight

What this shows Langschwanz-Sicht: wo „define“ gegen ähnlich seltene deutsche Ränge sitzt.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for define
PropertyValue
Headworddefine
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[dɪˈfaɪn]
Letters6
Frequency rank#99,654
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „define“ im Deutschen

Diese Skala geht vom Kern des Alltagdeutschen (links) bis zum seltenen Langschwanz (rechts).definefällt in diesen Seltenheitsbereich:

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

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Seltene Nachbarn derselben Bandbreite: „dehnbarer“ (#99,655), „Deodorant“ (#99,656), „despektierlich“ (#99,657). Unter 2,764 „D“-Lemmata liegt „define“ bei #99,654. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

define is uncommon German at frequency #99,654 among 2,764 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [dɪˈfaɪn]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "definieren, abgrenzen, abstecken".

define has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is define, spelled D-E-F-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    definieren, abgrenzen, abstecken

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It defined the position of Great Britain.
  2. "Our district's poll record was described as 'abysmal' and abysmal is defined as 'wretched to the point of despair'."

Synonyms

outline

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 "define"?
"define" is spelled D-E-F-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is [dɪˈfaɪn].
What does "define" mean?
As a verb, "define" means: definieren, abgrenzen, abstecken
How do you pronounce "define"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "define" is [dɪˈfaɪn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "define" come from?
"define" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "define", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Dioxin#99,664distal#99,666Dohlen#99,670Brokat#99,598

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list