formell

[fɔʁˈmɛl]

/[fɔʁˈmɛl]/ adj

The verdict

“formell” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #18,545 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#18,545
frequency rank, German
7
letters
8
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - förmlich, unter (gewissenhafter) Beachtung der Form, der (äußeren) Form nach

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

formell vs formen
71% similar
formell vs Formeln
71% similar
formell vs formula
71% similar

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

Key facts for formell
PropertyValue
Headwordformell
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[fɔʁˈmɛl]
Letters7
Frequency rank#18,545
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “formell” 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). formell 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 formell is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [fɔʁˈmɛl]. Corpus data places it at rank #18,545 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "förmlich, unter (gewissenhafter) Beachtung der Form, der (äußeren) Form nach".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for formell, with forms such as "fformell", "fomrell", and "foremll". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "formen", "Formeln", "formula", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

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 formell, spelled F-O-R-M-E-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    förmlich, unter (gewissenhafter) Beachtung der Form, der (äußeren) Form nach

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: fformell,fomrell,foremll,formlel,formmell,forrmell,fromell,ofrmell

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of formell - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

fformell1fomrell2foremll2formlel2formmell1forrmell1fromell2ofrmell2
Edit distance from "formell"

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 "formell"?
"formell" is spelled F-O-R-M-E-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is [fɔʁˈmɛl].
What does "formell" mean?
As an adjective, "formell" means: förmlich, unter (gewissenhafter) Beachtung der Form, der (äußeren) Form nach
What words are commonly confused with "formell"?
"formell" is commonly confused with "formen", "Formeln", "formula". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "formell"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "formell" is [fɔʁˈmɛl]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "formell" come from?
"formell" 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 “formell”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is F-O-R-M-E-L-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [fɔʁˈmɛl] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “formen” - see the side-by-side comparison. formell vs formen
  • 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