Gestank

[ɡəˈʃtaŋk]

/[ɡəˈʃtaŋk]/ noun

The verdict

“Gestank” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #21,623 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#21,623
frequency rank, German
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - übler, unangenehmer Geruch; verstärktes stank

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Gestank vs getan
57% similar
Gestank vs Gesten
71% similar
Gestank vs Gestik
71% similar

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

Key facts for Gestank
PropertyValue
HeadwordGestank
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ɡəˈʃtaŋk]
Letters7
Frequency rank#21,623
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Gestank” 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). Gestank 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 Gestank is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ɡəˈʃtaŋk]. Corpus data places it at rank #21,623 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "übler, unangenehmer Geruch; verstärktes stank".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for Gestank, with forms such as "egstank", "gesatnk", and "gesstank". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "getan", "Gesten", "Gestik", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is Gestank, spelled G-E-S-T-A-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    übler, unangenehmer Geruch; verstärktes stank

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: egstank,gesatnk,gesstank,gestakn,gestankk,gestannk,gestnak,gesttank,getsank,ggestank,gsetank

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

egstank2gesatnk2gesstank1gestakn2gestankk1gestannk1gestnak2gesttank1
Edit distance from "Gestank"

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 "Gestank"?
"Gestank" is spelled G-E-S-T-A-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is [ɡəˈʃtaŋk].
What does "Gestank" mean?
As a noun, "Gestank" means: übler, unangenehmer Geruch; verstärktes stank
What words are commonly confused with "Gestank"?
"Gestank" is commonly confused with "getan", "Gesten", "Gestik". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Gestank"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Gestank" is [ɡəˈʃtaŋk]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Gestank" come from?
"Gestank" 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 “Gestank”

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

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