finster

[ˈfɪnstɐ]

/[ˈfɪnstɐ]/ adj

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

The verdict

“finster” has 11 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #23,932. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,932
frequency rank, German
3,474
“F” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - sehr dunkel

Corpus desk

Index DE-finster · finster · German

finster · rank #23,932 · 11 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,932
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,474
  • PHOTO-FINISH Feuerzeug

Nearest frequency peer: Feuerzeug (-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 “finster”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “finster” 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 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

finster vs foster
71% similar
finster vs fitter
71% similar
finster vs Förster
57% similar

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

Key facts for finster
PropertyValue
Headwordfinster
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈfɪnstɐ]
Letters7
Frequency rank#23,932
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Wo “finster” in der deutschen Häufigkeit sitzt

Diese Skala geht vom Kern des Alltagdeutschen (links) bis zum seltenen Langschwanz (rechts).finsterliegt hier:

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

Die Skala ist logarithmisch (jeder Tick ≈ 10× seltener). In derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite liegen „Feuerzeug“ (#23,931), „Fledermäuse“ (#23,933), „Fallout“ (#23,929). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around finster (IPA [ˈfɪnstɐ]), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #23,932 among 3,474 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for finster, with forms such as "ffinster", "finnster", and "finsetr". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "foster", "fitter", "Förster", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is finster, spelled F-I-N-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    sehr dunkel
  2. 2
    bedrückt, pessimistisch
  3. 3
    übel und rückständig

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ein grausiger Schrei ertönte aus dem finsteren Wald.
  2. Eine finsterere Ecke hast du wohl nicht finden können? Hier sieht uns also bestimmt niemand.

Antonyms

helllichtdurchflutetfröhlichrosigmodernzeitgenössisch

This word in other languages

dark(English)sombrío(Español)sombre(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffinster
  • finnster
  • finsetr
  • finsster
  • finsterr
  • finstre
  • finstter
  • fintser
  • fisnter
  • fnister
  • ifnster

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of finster - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ffinster1finnster1finsetr2finsster1finsterr1finstre2finstter1fintser2
Edit distance from "finster"

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 "finster"?
"finster" is spelled F-I-N-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈfɪnstɐ].
What does "finster" mean?
As an adjective, "finster" means: sehr dunkel
What words are commonly confused with "finster"?
"finster" is commonly confused with "foster", "fitter", "Förster". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "finster"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "finster" is [ˈfɪnstɐ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "finster" come from?
"finster" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "finster", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Fallout#23,929fluchen#23,935entwarf#23,917gespült#23,957

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

gegrillt11 variantsentpuppt11 variantsgemeinte11 variantseinlösen11 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "finster". Here's where to go from here.

  • "finster" maps to 18 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "foster". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #23,932 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "F" letter cohort. F–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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