Graphem

[ɡʁaˈfeːm]

/[ɡʁaˈfeːm]/ noun

The verdict

“Graphem” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - kleinste bedeutungsunterscheidende Einheit eines Schriftsystems

Corpus desk

Index DE-graphem · Graphem · German

Graphem · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "G" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for Graphem
PropertyValue
HeadwordGraphem
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ɡʁaˈfeːm]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Graphem“ im Deutschen

Graphemliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Graphem is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ɡʁaˈfeːm]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for Graphem in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Graphem, spelled G-R-A-P-H-E-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    kleinste bedeutungsunterscheidende Einheit eines Schriftsystems
  2. 2
    Menge derjenigen Buchstaben (Graphe), die ein bestimmtes Phonem wiedergeben
  3. 3
    komplexes Schriftzeichen, das Silben oder Morpheme wiedergibt

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Graphem appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Das lateinische Alphabet besteht aus Graphemen.
  2. „Das Graphem ist eine Klasse von Graphen, die distributionell als sprachzeichenunterscheidende graphische Einheit bestimmt wird.“

Antonyms

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 "Graphem"?
"Graphem" is spelled G-R-A-P-H-E-M. The IPA pronunciation is [ɡʁaˈfeːm].
What does "Graphem" mean?
As a noun, "Graphem" means: kleinste bedeutungsunterscheidende Einheit eines Schriftsystems
How do you pronounce "Graphem"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Graphem" is [ɡʁaˈfeːm]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Graphem" come from?
"Graphem" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list