erwürgen

[ɛɐ̯ˈvʏʁɡn̩]

/[ɛɐ̯ˈvʏʁɡn̩]/ verb

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

The verdict

“erwürgen” is uncommon German (frequency #58,739 among 4,632 “E” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,739
frequency rank, German
4,632
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - jemanden ermorden, indem man ihm (mit den Händen) den Hals zusammendrückt, um die Luftzufuhr abzuschneiden, sodass das Blut nicht mehr zum Kopf zirkulieren kann

Corpus desk

Index DE-erwurgen · erwürgen · German

erwürgen · rank #58,739 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #58,739
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,632
  • PHOTO-FINISH erträglichen

Nearest frequency peer: erträglichen (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “erwürgen”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “erwürgen” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026
Key facts for erwürgen
PropertyValue
Headworderwürgen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ɛɐ̯ˈvʏʁɡn̩]
Letters8
Frequency rank#58,739
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “erwürgen” 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). erwürgen 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

erwürgen is uncommon German at frequency #58,739 among 4,632 “E” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [ɛɐ̯ˈvʏʁɡn̩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for erwürgen in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is erwürgen, spelled E-R-W-Ü-R-G-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    jemanden ermorden, indem man ihm (mit den Händen) den Hals zusammendrückt, um die Luftzufuhr abzuschneiden, sodass das Blut nicht mehr zum Kopf zirkulieren kann
  2. 2
    etwas Unbequemes schnell unterbinden
  3. 3
    jemandem die Kehle durchschneiden oder durchbeißen
  4. 4
    jemanden töten, indem man ihn mit einer Schlinge um den Hals aufhängt
  5. 5
    jemanden gewaltsam töten

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Der Mann versuchte nach der Vergewaltigung sein Opfer zu erwürgen, jedoch hatte er zu wenig Kraft und das Opfer konnte fliehen.

Synonyms

abwürgen

Antonyms

erdrosselnerhängenersticken

This word in other languages

choke(English)estrangular(Español)étrangler(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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "erwürgen"?
"erwürgen" is spelled E-R-W-Ü-R-G-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ɛɐ̯ˈvʏʁɡn̩].
What does "erwürgen" mean?
As a verb, "erwürgen" means: jemanden ermorden, indem man ihm (mit den Händen) den Hals zusammendrückt, um die Luftzufuhr abzuschneiden, sodass das Blut nicht mehr zum Kopf zirkulieren kann
How do you pronounce "erwürgen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "erwürgen" is [ɛɐ̯ˈvʏʁɡn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "erwürgen" come from?
"erwürgen" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ermahnen#58,737fiktives#58,768Einschub#58,708Finalist#58,771
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