erstreben

[ɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁeːbn̩]

/[ɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁeːbn̩]/ verb

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

The verdict

“erstreben” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - nach etwas streben, etwas zu erreichen suchen

Key facts for erstreben
PropertyValue
Headworderstreben
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁeːbn̩]
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “erstreben” sits in German frequency

erstreben 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 erstreben is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁeːbn̩]. 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: "nach etwas streben, etwas zu erreichen suchen".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for erstreben, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No explicit etymology string is stored 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 erstreben, spelled E-R-S-T-R-E-B-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    nach etwas streben, etwas zu erreichen suchen

Synonyms

anstrebenhinsteuernhinzielentendierenverfolgenjagenlechzentrachtenzumZielhabenhinauswollen auf

Antonyms

ablehnentorpedierenverhindernvermeidenverzögern

This word in other languages

ambicionar(Español)aspirer(Français)aspirar(Português)

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 "erstreben"?
"erstreben" is spelled E-R-S-T-R-E-B-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁeːbn̩].
What does "erstreben" mean?
As a verb, "erstreben" means: nach etwas streben, etwas zu erreichen suchen
How do you pronounce "erstreben"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "erstreben" is [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁeːbn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "erstreben" come from?
"erstreben" 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.

Using “erstreben”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is E-R-S-T-R-E-B-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁeːbn̩] (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