futile
[ˈfjuːtaɪl]
The verdict
“futile” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency German
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - aussichtslos, nutzlos, sinnlos, unsinnig, überflüssig, vergeblich, zwecklos
Corpus desk
Index DE-futile · futile · German
futile · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "F" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | futile |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | [ˈfjuːtaɪl] |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Langschwanz-Rang von „futile“ im Deutschen
Rare enough to double-check
futile is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ˈfjuːtaɪl]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "aussichtslos, nutzlos, sinnlos, unsinnig, überflüssig, vergeblich, zwecklos".
No generated misspelling entries exist for futile in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is futile, spelled F-U-T-I-L-E.
Definition
- 1aussichtslos, nutzlos, sinnlos, unsinnig, überflüssig, vergeblich, zwecklos
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how futile appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Resistance is futile.
Many find pro-anorexia websites repellent, but banning them is futile
Synonyms
Antonyms
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.