failure

[ˈfeɪljəʳ]

/[ˈfeɪljəʳ]/ noun

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

The verdict

“failure” is an uncommon German word, ranked #69,199 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#69,199
frequency rank, German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Fehler, Scheitern, Versagen, Versäumnis, Misserfolg

Key facts for failure
PropertyValue
Headwordfailure
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈfeɪljəʳ]
Letters7
Frequency rank#69,199
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “failure” 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). failure 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 failure is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈfeɪljəʳ]. Corpus data places it at rank #69,199 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Fehler, Scheitern, Versagen, Versäumnis, Misserfolg".

Zero misspellings are on record for failure in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is failure, spelled F-A-I-L-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fehler, Scheitern, Versagen, Versäumnis, Misserfolg

Synonyms

fail

Antonyms

success

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 "failure"?
"failure" is spelled F-A-I-L-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈfeɪljəʳ].
What does "failure" mean?
As a noun, "failure" means: Fehler, Scheitern, Versagen, Versäumnis, Misserfolg
How do you pronounce "failure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "failure" is [ˈfeɪljəʳ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "failure" come from?
"failure" 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 “failure”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is F-A-I-L-U-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈfeɪljəʳ] (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