die Fäden ziehen

[diː ˈfɛːdn̩ ˈt͡siːn]

/[diː ˈfɛːdn̩ ˈt͡siːn]/ phrase

The verdict

“die Fäden ziehen” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a phrase - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
16
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - aus dem Hintergrund den entscheidenden Einfluss ausüben, in Wahrheit die Macht haben

Key facts for die Fäden ziehen
PropertyValue
Headworddie Fäden ziehen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[diː ˈfɛːdn̩ ˈt͡siːn]
Letters16
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “die Fäden ziehen” sits in German frequency

die Fäden ziehen falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for die Fäden ziehen is 16 letters long, classified as a phrase, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [diː ˈfɛːdn̩ ˈt͡siːn]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for die Fäden ziehen in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct German form is die Fäden ziehen, spelled D-I-E- -F-Ä-D-E-N- -Z-I-E-H-E-N, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    aus dem Hintergrund den entscheidenden Einfluss ausüben, in Wahrheit die Macht haben
  2. 2
    die Fäden entfernen (zum Beispiel bei einer genähten Wunde)

Synonyms

leitenlenkensteuernder Drahtzieher seinder Strippenzieher seindie Fäden in der Hand habendie Fäden in der Hand halten

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.

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:

PlainSpell, “die Fäden ziehen, German word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/de/wort/die-faden-ziehen

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "die Fäden ziehen"?
"die Fäden ziehen" is spelled D-I-E- -F-Ä-D-E-N- -Z-I-E-H-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [diː ˈfɛːdn̩ ˈt͡siːn].
What does "die Fäden ziehen" mean?
As a phrase, "die Fäden ziehen" means: aus dem Hintergrund den entscheidenden Einfluss ausüben, in Wahrheit die Macht haben
How do you pronounce "die Fäden ziehen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "die Fäden ziehen" is [diː ˈfɛːdn̩ ˈt͡siːn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "die Fäden ziehen" come from?
"die Fäden ziehen" 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 “die Fäden ziehen”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is D-I-E- -F-Ä-D-E-N- -Z-I-E-H-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [diː ˈfɛːdn̩ ˈt͡siːn] (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

Nearby German words

Other entries that begin with the letter D in our German index:

Explore PlainSpell

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