falsch

[falʃ]

/[falʃ]/ adj

The verdict

“falsch” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #810 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#810
frequency rank, German
6
letters
10
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - unrichtig (durch Irrtum oder Unwissenheit), tatsächlich anders

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

falsch vs Fisch
50% similar
falsch vs flach
67% similar
falsch vs Fluch
50% similar

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

Key facts for falsch
PropertyValue
Headwordfalsch
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[falʃ]
Letters6
Frequency rank#810
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “falsch” 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). falsch 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 falsch is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [falʃ]. Corpus data places it at rank #810 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for falsch, with forms such as "aflsch", "falcsh", and "fallsch". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "Fisch", "flach", "Fluch", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is falsch, spelled F-A-L-S-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    unrichtig (durch Irrtum oder Unwissenheit), tatsächlich anders
  2. 2
    gelogen, nicht den Tatsachen entsprechend
  3. 3
    betrügerisch
  4. 4
    nachgemacht
  5. 5
    verlogen
  6. 6
    nicht wahr

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aflsch,falcsh,fallsch,falscch,falschh,falshc,falssch,faslch,ffalsch,flasch

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of falsch - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aflsch2falcsh2fallsch1falscch1falschh1falshc2falssch1faslch2
Edit distance from "falsch"

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 "falsch"?
"falsch" is spelled F-A-L-S-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is [falʃ].
What does "falsch" mean?
As an adjective, "falsch" means: unrichtig (durch Irrtum oder Unwissenheit), tatsächlich anders
What words are commonly confused with "falsch"?
"falsch" is commonly confused with "Fisch", "flach", "Fluch". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "falsch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "falsch" is [falʃ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "falsch" come from?
"falsch" 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 “falsch”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is F-A-L-S-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [falʃ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Fisch” - see the side-by-side comparison. falsch vs Fisch
  • 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