Dorsum

[ˈdɔʁzʊm]

/[ˈdɔʁzʊm]/ noun

The verdict

“Dorsum” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Rücken

Corpus desk

Index DE-dorsum · Dorsum · German

Dorsum · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for Dorsum
PropertyValue
HeadwordDorsum
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈdɔʁzʊm]
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Dorsum“ im Deutschen

Dorsumliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

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

Rare enough to double-check

Dorsum is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈdɔʁzʊm]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for Dorsum in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is Dorsum, spelled D-O-R-S-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Rücken
  2. 2
    der mittlere Teil der Zunge

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Mit dem Dorsum werden im Deutschen z.B. die Konsonanten [j, ç, x, g, k, ŋ] gebildet.

Synonyms

Zungenrücken

Antonyms

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

How do you spell "Dorsum"?
"Dorsum" is spelled D-O-R-S-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈdɔʁzʊm].
What does "Dorsum" mean?
As a noun, "Dorsum" means: Rücken
How do you pronounce "Dorsum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Dorsum" is [ˈdɔʁzʊm]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Dorsum" come from?
"Dorsum" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list