ergründen

[ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁʏndn̩]

/[ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁʏndn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“ergründen” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #30,034 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#30,034
frequency rank, German
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - etwas bis ins Letzte klären; den Grund oder die Ursache für etwas herausfinden

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ergründen vs erkunden
67% similar
ergründen vs errungen
67% similar
ergründen vs ertrunken
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ergründen
PropertyValue
Headwordergründen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁʏndn̩]
Letters9
Frequency rank#30,034
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ergründen” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). ergründen lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for ergründen is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁʏndn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #30,034 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "etwas bis ins Letzte klären; den Grund oder die Ursache für etwas herausfinden".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for ergründen, with forms such as "egrründen", "erggründen", and "ergrnüden". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "erkunden", "errungen", "ertrunken", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file 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 ergründen, spelled E-R-G-R-Ü-N-D-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas bis ins Letzte klären; den Grund oder die Ursache für etwas herausfinden

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: egrründen,erggründen,ergrnüden,ergrründen,ergrüdnen,ergründden,ergründenn,ergründne,ergrünedn,ergrünnden,ergürnden,errgründen,errgünden,regründen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ergründen - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

egrründen2erggründen1ergrnüden2ergrründen1ergrüdnen2ergründden1ergründenn1ergründne2
Edit distance from "ergründen"

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 "ergründen"?
"ergründen" is spelled E-R-G-R-Ü-N-D-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁʏndn̩].
What does "ergründen" mean?
As a verb, "ergründen" means: etwas bis ins Letzte klären; den Grund oder die Ursache für etwas herausfinden
What words are commonly confused with "ergründen"?
"ergründen" is commonly confused with "erkunden", "errungen", "ertrunken". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ergründen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ergründen" is [ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁʏndn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ergründen" come from?
"ergründen" 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 “ergründen”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is E-R-G-R-Ü-N-D-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁʏndn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “erkunden” - see the side-by-side comparison. ergründen vs erkunden
  • 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