germain

[ʒɛʀmɛ͂]

/[ʒɛʀmɛ͂]/ adj

The verdict

“germain” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #21,621 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#21,621
frequency rank, German
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Geschwister vom selben Vater und derselben Mutter

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

germain vs German
71% similar
germain vs Germany
57% similar
germain vs Germania
63% similar

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

Key facts for germain
PropertyValue
Headwordgermain
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ʒɛʀmɛ͂]
Letters7
Frequency rank#21,621
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “germain” 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). germain 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 germain is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ʒɛʀmɛ͂]. Corpus data places it at rank #21,621 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for germain, with forms such as "egrmain", "gemrain", and "geramin". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "German", "Germany", "Germania", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is germain, spelled G-E-R-M-A-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Geschwister vom selben Vater und derselben Mutter
  2. 2
    Cousin/Cousine ersten oder zweiten Grades
  3. 3
    Sache eine Beziehung oder Ähnlichkeit zeigend
  4. 4
    aus Germanien

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: egrmain,gemrain,geramin,germainn,germani,germian,germmain,gerrmain,ggermain,gremain

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of germain - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

egrmain2gemrain2geramin2germainn1germani2germian2germmain1gerrmain1
Edit distance from "germain"

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 "germain"?
"germain" is spelled G-E-R-M-A-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ʒɛʀmɛ͂].
What does "germain" mean?
As an adjective, "germain" means: Geschwister vom selben Vater und derselben Mutter
What words are commonly confused with "germain"?
"germain" is commonly confused with "German", "Germany", "Germania". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "germain"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "germain" is [ʒɛʀmɛ͂]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "germain" come from?
"germain" 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 “germain”

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

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