hängen lassen

[ˈhɛŋənˌlasn̩]

/[ˈhɛŋənˌlasn̩]/ phrase

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - etwas Aufgehängtes (zum Beispiel ein Kleidungsstück) irgendwo zurücklassen, dort vergessen

Corpus desk

Index DE-hangen-lassen · hängen lassen · German

hängen lassen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" 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 hängen lassen
PropertyValue
Headwordhängen lassen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[ˈhɛŋənˌlasn̩]
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „hängen lassen“ im Deutschen

hängen lassenschafft es nicht in die Top 100.000 des Deutschen: Zone für Fach-, Alt- oder Seltenwortschatz.

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

Rare enough to double-check

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

hängen lassen has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, 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 hängen lassen, spelled H-Ä-N-G-E-N- -L-A-S-S-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas Aufgehängtes (zum Beispiel ein Kleidungsstück) irgendwo zurücklassen, dort vergessen
  2. 2
    (jemandem) nicht die nötige Hilfe/Unterstützung gewähren
  3. 3
    fatalistisch, antriebslos vor sich hin leben

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Habe ich gestern meinen Regenmantel bei euch hängen lassen/gelassen?
  2. Auch nach seinem Schuldeingeständnis ließ ihn die Familie nicht hängen.

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 "hängen lassen"?
"hängen lassen" is spelled H-Ä-N-G-E-N- -L-A-S-S-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈhɛŋənˌlasn̩].
What does "hängen lassen" mean?
As a phrase, "hängen lassen" means: etwas Aufgehängtes (zum Beispiel ein Kleidungsstück) irgendwo zurücklassen, dort vergessen
How do you pronounce "hängen lassen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hängen lassen" is [ˈhɛŋənˌlasn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "hängen lassen" come from?
"hängen lassen" 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