ertasten

[ɛɐ̯ˈtastn̩]

/[ɛɐ̯ˈtastn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“ertasten” is uncommon German (frequency #87,661 among 57,060 “E” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,661
frequency rank, German
57,060
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - mit den Fingern/Händen fühlend (tastend) etwas erfassen

Key facts for ertasten
PropertyValue
Headwordertasten
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ɛɐ̯ˈtastn̩]
Letters8
Frequency rank#87,661
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ertasten” 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). ertasten lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

ertasten is uncommon German at frequency #87,661 among 57,060 “E” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [ɛɐ̯ˈtastn̩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "mit den Fingern/Händen fühlend (tastend) etwas erfassen".

No generated misspelling entries exist for ertasten in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is ertasten, spelled E-R-T-A-S-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    mit den Fingern/Händen fühlend (tastend) etwas erfassen

Antonyms

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 "ertasten"?
"ertasten" is spelled E-R-T-A-S-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ɛɐ̯ˈtastn̩].
What does "ertasten" mean?
As a verb, "ertasten" means: mit den Fingern/Händen fühlend (tastend) etwas erfassen
How do you pronounce "ertasten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ertasten" is [ɛɐ̯ˈtastn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ertasten" come from?
"ertasten" 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 “ertasten”

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

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

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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