eigentlich
German, adjective/ˈaɪ̯ɡəntlɪç/
eigentlich is spelled E-I-G-E-N-T-L-I-C-H (10 letters) and appears 380 times per million words in written German, the 242nd most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Eigentlich is a German adjective meaning “actual, real, proper (as opposed to something secondary serving as a distraction or impostor)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “der Wirklichkeit entsprechend”.
What does eigentlich mean in English?
adverb
- 1
really, actually, in truth (with that description being the more pertinent one)
Das wird zwar oft behauptet, aber das stimmt eigentlich gar nicht.
- 2
technically, strictly speaking, officially (with that description being secondary to some de-facto practice)
Eigentlich ist das verboten, aber es wird nicht durchgesetzt.
- 3
Used to introduce a question primarily driven by curiosity that might only be loosely if at all connected to the previous topic
Hast du eigentlich Geschwister?
adjective
- 1
actual, real, proper (as opposed to something secondary serving as a distraction or impostor)
Das eigentliche Problem ist doch, dass wir dazu gar nicht in der Lage sind.
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
adverb: 1. im Prinzip 2. in Wahrheit 3. eine (nicht besonders dringende) Bitte um Antwort signalisierend 4. im engeren Sinne
adjective: 1. der Wirklichkeit entsprechend 2. eine besondere Eigenschaft einer stetigen Abbildung
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of eigentlich
- eigtl. alternative abbreviation
- eig alternative Internet
- einklich alternative pronunciation-spelling
- eigentlicher masculine nominative singular
- am eigentlichsten superlative
- eigentliche feminine nominative singular
- eigentliches neuter nominative singular
- eigentlichen genitive masculine singular
- eigentlichem dative masculine singular
- der eigentliche definite includes-article masculine
- die eigentliche definite feminine includes-article
- das eigentliche definite includes-article neuter
- die eigentlichen definite includes-article nominative
- des eigentlichen definite genitive includes-article
- der eigentlichen definite feminine genitive
- eig. abbreviation
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce eigentlich?
- /ˈaɪ̯ɡəntlɪç/
- [ˈʔaɪ̯ɡ(ə)ntlɪç]
- [ˈʔaɪ̯(ɡ)ŋ̍tlɪç]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to eigentlich
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is eigentlich in German?
eigentlich appears 380 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).