gespenstisch
[ɡəˈʃpɛnstɪʃ]
The verdict
“gespenstisch” is uncommon German (frequency #59,697 among 54,401 “G” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #59,697
- frequency rank, German
- 54,401
- “G” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Angst verursachend; unheimlich, gruselig
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | gespenstisch |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | [ɡəˈʃpɛnstɪʃ] |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #59,697 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “gespenstisch” sits in German frequency
Rare enough to double-check
gespenstisch is uncommon German at frequency #59,697 among 54,401 “G” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ɡəˈʃpɛnstɪʃ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for gespenstisch in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. 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.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is gespenstisch, spelled G-E-S-P-E-N-S-T-I-S-C-H.
Definition
- 1Angst verursachend; unheimlich, gruselig
- 2in der Art eines Gespenstes, wie ein Gespenst
This word in other languages
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
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Using “gespenstisch”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is G-E-S-P-E-N-S-T-I-S-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ɡəˈʃpɛnstɪʃ] (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.