hecheln
[ˈhɛçl̩n]
The verdict
“hecheln” is an uncommon German word, ranked #74,691 in German word frequency and used as a verb.
- #74,691
- frequency rank, German
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - bei offenem Maul schnell, stoßweise und hörbar atmen
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | hecheln |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [ˈhɛçl̩n] |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #74,691 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “hecheln” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for hecheln is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈhɛçl̩n]. Corpus data places it at rank #74,691 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for hecheln in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is hecheln, spelled H-E-C-H-E-L-N.
Definition
- 1bei offenem Maul schnell, stoßweise und hörbar atmen
- 2sich über jemanden auslassen, über jemanden oder etwas klatschen
- 3Flachs oder Hanf durch die Hechel ziehen, um die feinen Fasern vom groben Werg zu trennen
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); 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
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Using “hecheln”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is H-E-C-H-E-L-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈhɛçl̩n] (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.