desk

[desk]

/[desk]/ noun

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

The verdict

“desk” is uncommon German (frequency #52,755 among 45,632 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,755
frequency rank, German
45,632
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - das Möbel mit waagerechter oder schräger Oberfläche zum Lesen und Schreiben

Key facts for desk
PropertyValue
Headworddesk
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[desk]
Letters4
Frequency rank#52,755
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “desk” 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). desk 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

desk is uncommon German at frequency #52,755 among 45,632 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [desk]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for desk in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is desk, spelled D-E-S-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    das Möbel mit waagerechter oder schräger Oberfläche zum Lesen und Schreiben
  2. 2
    der Ort in einer Einrichtung wie einem Hotel oder Flughafen, an dem man sich und seine Anliegen melden sowie Auskunft erhalten kann
  3. 3
    der für Themen zuständige Teil einer Organisation der Presse oder Regierung

This word in other languages

bureau(Français)

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 "desk"?
"desk" is spelled D-E-S-K. The IPA pronunciation is [desk].
What does "desk" mean?
As a noun, "desk" means: das Möbel mit waagerechter oder schräger Oberfläche zum Lesen und Schreiben
How do you pronounce "desk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "desk" is [desk]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "desk" come from?
"desk" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “desk”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is D-E-S-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [desk] (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