dumm wie Bohnenstroh

[ˈdʊm viː ˈboːnənˌʃtʁoː]

/[ˈdʊm viː ˈboːnənˌʃtʁoː]/ phrase

The verdict

“dumm wie Bohnenstroh” 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
20
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - dumm, unintelligent sein

Key facts for dumm wie Bohnenstroh
PropertyValue
Headworddumm wie Bohnenstroh
LanguageGerman
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[ˈdʊm viː ˈboːnənˌʃtʁoː]
Letters20
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dumm wie Bohnenstroh” sits in German frequency

dumm wie Bohnenstroh 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 dumm wie Bohnenstroh is 20 letters long, classified as a phrase, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈdʊm viː ˈboːnənˌʃtʁoː]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "dumm, unintelligent sein".

dumm wie Bohnenstroh has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is dumm wie Bohnenstroh, spelled D-U-M-M- -W-I-E- -B-O-H-N-E-N-S-T-R-O-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    dumm, unintelligent sein

Synonyms

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dumm wie Bohnenstroh"?
"dumm wie Bohnenstroh" is spelled D-U-M-M- -W-I-E- -B-O-H-N-E-N-S-T-R-O-H. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈdʊm viː ˈboːnənˌʃtʁoː].
What does "dumm wie Bohnenstroh" mean?
As a phrase, "dumm wie Bohnenstroh" means: dumm, unintelligent sein
How do you pronounce "dumm wie Bohnenstroh"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dumm wie Bohnenstroh" is [ˈdʊm viː ˈboːnənˌʃtʁoː]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "dumm wie Bohnenstroh" come from?
"dumm wie Bohnenstroh" 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 “dumm wie Bohnenstroh”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is D-U-M-M- -W-I-E- -B-O-H-N-E-N-S-T-R-O-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈdʊm viː ˈboːnənˌʃtʁoː] (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