eigenwillig

[ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩ˌvɪlɪç]

/[ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩ˌvɪlɪç]/ adj

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

The verdict

“eigenwillig” is uncommon German (frequency #56,926 among 4,632 “E” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,926
frequency rank, German
4,632
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - von eigenen Ideen erfüllt (die auch ungewöhnlich und befremdlich sein können); auf eigenen Ideen bestehend

Corpus desk

Index DE-eigenwillig · eigenwillig · German

eigenwillig · rank #56,926 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,926
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,632
  • PHOTO-FINISH Eingangstor

Nearest frequency peer: Eingangstor (+1 rank slots)

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.

Langschwanz-Ränge nahe „eigenwillig“

Dünnes Band: Balken invertieren den Rang, seltenere Formen wirken kürzer

corpus weight

What this shows Langschwanz-Sicht: wo „eigenwillig“ gegen ähnlich seltene deutsche Ränge sitzt.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for eigenwillig
PropertyValue
Headwordeigenwillig
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩ˌvɪlɪç]
Letters11
Frequency rank#56,926
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „eigenwillig“ im Deutschen

Die Häufigkeit läuft von den wenigen Alltagswörtern (links) bis zur langen, seltenen Schwanzseite (rechts).eigenwilligfällt in diesen Seltenheitsbereich:

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

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Seltene Nachbarn derselben Bandbreite: „Eingangstor“ (#56,927), „Eigengewicht“ (#56,924), „eigenartigen“ (#56,923). Unter 4,632 „E“-Lemmata liegt „eigenwillig“ bei #56,926. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

eigenwillig is uncommon German at frequency #56,926 among 4,632 “E” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩ˌvɪlɪç]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "von eigenen Ideen erfüllt (die auch ungewöhnlich und befremdlich sein können); auf eigenen Ideen bestehend".

eigenwillig doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is eigenwillig, spelled E-I-G-E-N-W-I-L-L-I-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    von eigenen Ideen erfüllt (die auch ungewöhnlich und befremdlich sein können); auf eigenen Ideen bestehend

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Eigenwillig ist Sean Penn noch immer, dabei allerdings mehr als erfolgreich und das nicht nur als Schauspieler."
  2. Der Regisseur inszenierte eine sehr eigenwillige Interpretation des Räuber-Stoffs.

Antonyms

angepasstgewöhnlichkooperativ

This word in other languages

headstrong(English)voluntarioso(Español)volontaire(Français)

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 "eigenwillig"?
"eigenwillig" is spelled E-I-G-E-N-W-I-L-L-I-G. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩ˌvɪlɪç].
What does "eigenwillig" mean?
As an adjective, "eigenwillig" means: von eigenen Ideen erfüllt (die auch ungewöhnlich und befremdlich sein können); auf eigenen Ideen bestehend
How do you pronounce "eigenwillig"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "eigenwillig" is [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩ˌvɪlɪç]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "eigenwillig" come from?
"eigenwillig" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "eigenwillig", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Eingangstor#56,927effizientes#56,920Elektrolyse#56,939Erdarbeiten#56,951

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list