desolate

[dezoˈlaːtə]

/[dezoˈlaːtə]/ adj

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

The verdict

“desolate” is an uncommon German word, ranked #83,842 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#83,842
frequency rank, German
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs desolat

Key facts for desolate
PropertyValue
Headworddesolate
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[dezoˈlaːtə]
Letters8
Frequency rank#83,842
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “desolate” 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). desolate lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for desolate is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [dezoˈlaːtə]. Corpus data places it at rank #83,842 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for desolate, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is desolate, spelled D-E-S-O-L-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs desolat
  2. 2
    Akkusativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs desolat
  3. 3
    Nominativ Plural alle Genera der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs desolat
  4. 4
    Akkusativ Plural alle Genera der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs desolat
  5. 5
    Nominativ Singular alle Genera der schwachen Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs desolat
  6. 6
    Akkusativ Singular Femininum der schwachen Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs desolat
  7. 7
    Akkusativ Singular Neutrum der schwachen Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs desolat
  8. 8
    Nominativ Singular Femininum der gemischten Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs desolat
  9. 9
    Akkusativ Singular Femininum der gemischten Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs desolat

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 "desolate"?
"desolate" is spelled D-E-S-O-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is [dezoˈlaːtə].
What does "desolate" mean?
As an adjective, "desolate" means: Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs desolat
How do you pronounce "desolate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "desolate" is [dezoˈlaːtə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "desolate" come from?
"desolate" 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.

Using “desolate”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is D-E-S-O-L-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [dezoˈlaːtə] (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list