Fingerspitzengefühl
German, noun[ˈfɪŋɐʃpɪtsn̩ɡəˌfyːl]
Fingerspitzengefühl is spelled F-I-N-G-E-R-S-P-I-T-Z-E-N-G-E-F-Ü-H-L (19 letters) and appears 1.1 times per million words in written German, the 36,861st most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Fingerspitzengefühl is a German neuter noun meaning “dexterity, skill (ability to perform an action with one's hands with accuracy and exactly the right amount of force)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “feines Gespür dafür, wie man sich jemandem gegenüber verhalten oder ausdrücken sollte, sodass dieser nicht…”.
What does Fingerspitzengefühl mean in English?
noun
- 1
neuterraredexterity, skill (ability to perform an action with one's hands with accuracy and exactly the right amount of force)
- 2
neuterrarea careful touch, tact, finesse (ability to navigate a delicate situation in a measured and careful manner)
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
noun: 1. feines Gespür dafür, wie man sich jemandem gegenüber verhalten oder ausdrücken sollte, sodass dieser nicht verletzt/vor den Kopf gestoßen/brüskiert wird 2. fähig, kleine oder empfindliche Dinge sehr sorgfältig zu behandeln und seine Kraft richtig zu dosieren; wichtig beispielsweise bei Montagen, Reparaturen, etc.
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of Fingerspitzengefühl
- Fingerspitzengefühles genitive
- Fingerspitzengefühls genitive
- Fingerspitzengefühle plural
- Fingerspitzengefühlen dative definite plural
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce Fingerspitzengefühl?
- [ˈfɪŋɐʃpɪtsn̩ɡəˌfyːl]
- [ˈfɪŋɐʃpɪtsənɡəˌfyːl]
- [ˈfɪŋɐʃpɪt͡sn̩ɡəˌfyːl]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
How common is Fingerspitzengefühl in German?
Fingerspitzengefühl appears 1.1 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).