gähn

[ɡɛːn]

/[ɡɛːn]/ verb

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

The verdict

“gähn” is uncommon German (frequency #56,191 among 54,401 “G” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,191
frequency rank, German
54,401
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs gähnen

Key facts for gähn
PropertyValue
Headwordgähn
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ɡɛːn]
Letters4
Frequency rank#56,191
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gähn” 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). gähn lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gähn is uncommon German at frequency #56,191 among 54,401 “G” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [ɡɛːn]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

gähn doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is gähn, spelled G-Ä-H-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs gähnen
  2. 2
    1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs gähnen

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 "gähn"?
"gähn" is spelled G-Ä-H-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ɡɛːn].
What does "gähn" mean?
As a verb, "gähn" means: 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs gähnen
How do you pronounce "gähn"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gähn" is [ɡɛːn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "gähn" come from?
"gähn" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “gähn”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is G-Ä-H-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ɡɛːn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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