harmlos

[ˈhaʁmloːs]

/[ˈhaʁmloːs]/ adj

The verdict

“harmlos” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #8,387 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#8,387
frequency rank, German
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - völlig unschädlich und ungefährlich, frei von Aggressionen

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

harmlos vs Harms
57% similar
harmlos vs herzlos
71% similar
harmlos vs harmlose
88% similar

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

Key facts for harmlos
PropertyValue
Headwordharmlos
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈhaʁmloːs]
Letters7
Frequency rank#8,387
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “harmlos” 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). harmlos 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 harmlos is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈhaʁmloːs]. Corpus data places it at rank #8,387 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for harmlos, with forms such as "ahrmlos", "hamrlos", and "harlmos". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Harms", "herzlos", "harmlose", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is harmlos, spelled H-A-R-M-L-O-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    völlig unschädlich und ungefährlich, frei von Aggressionen
  2. 2
    ohne größere schädliche Wirkungen oder schlimme Folgen

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ahrmlos,hamrlos,harlmos,harmllos,harmloss,harmlso,harmmlos,harmols,harrmlos,hharmlos,hramlos

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of harmlos - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ahrmlos2hamrlos2harlmos2harmllos1harmloss1harmlso2harmmlos1harmols2
Edit distance from "harmlos"

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 "harmlos"?
"harmlos" is spelled H-A-R-M-L-O-S. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈhaʁmloːs].
What does "harmlos" mean?
As an adjective, "harmlos" means: völlig unschädlich und ungefährlich, frei von Aggressionen
What words are commonly confused with "harmlos"?
"harmlos" is commonly confused with "Harms", "herzlos", "harmlose". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "harmlos"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "harmlos" is [ˈhaʁmloːs]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "harmlos" come from?
"harmlos" 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 “harmlos”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is H-A-R-M-L-O-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈhaʁmloːs] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Harms” - see the side-by-side comparison. harmlos vs Harms
  • 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