gleichschalten
[ˈɡlaɪ̯çˌʃaltn̩]
The verdict
“gleichschalten” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency German
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - zwangsweises, systematisches Unterwerfen aller Bereiche des öffentlichen Lebens und ihrer Vertreter, also beispielsweise der Medien, der Gewerkschaften, der Kirchen, von Kultur- und Bildungsorganis...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | gleichschalten |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [ˈɡlaɪ̯çˌʃaltn̩] |
| Letters | 14 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “gleichschalten” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for gleichschalten is 14 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈɡlaɪ̯çˌʃaltn̩]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for gleichschalten, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is gleichschalten, spelled G-L-E-I-C-H-S-C-H-A-L-T-E-N.
Definition
- 1zwangsweises, systematisches Unterwerfen aller Bereiche des öffentlichen Lebens und ihrer Vertreter, also beispielsweise der Medien, der Gewerkschaften, der Kirchen, von Kultur- und Bildungsorganisationen, Verbänden und Vereinen, unter die nationalsozialistische Ideologie, gleichzeitiges Abschaffen des Föderalismus und anderer pluralistischer Strukturen
- 2Durchsetzen einer einheitlichen Linie
- 3etwas (beispielsweise Stromkreise) aufeinander abstimmen/miteinander synchronisieren
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "gleichschalten"?
What does "gleichschalten" mean?
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Using “gleichschalten”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is G-L-E-I-C-H-S-C-H-A-L-T-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈɡlaɪ̯çˌʃaltn̩] (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
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.