Heiligenschein

[ˈhaɪ̯lɪɡn̩ˌʃaɪ̯n]

/[ˈhaɪ̯lɪɡn̩ˌʃaɪ̯n]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Heiligenschein” is uncommon German (frequency #56,208 among 3,372 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,208
frequency rank, German
3,372
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - strahlende (oft goldene) Scheibe, Ring oder Strahlenkranz um oder über dem Kopf eines Heiligen (auf religiösen Bildern) als Sinnbild ewigen Ruhmes

Corpus desk

Index DE-heiligenschein · Heiligenschein · German

Heiligenschein · rank #56,208 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,208
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,372
  • PHOTO-FINISH heikles

Nearest frequency peer: heikles (-1 rank slots)

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.

Langschwanz-Ränge nahe „Heiligenschein“

Dünnes Band: Balken invertieren den Rang, seltenere Formen wirken kürzer

corpus weight

What this shows Langschwanz-Sicht: wo „Heiligenschein“ gegen ähnlich seltene deutsche Ränge sitzt.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Heiligenschein
PropertyValue
HeadwordHeiligenschein
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈhaɪ̯lɪɡn̩ˌʃaɪ̯n]
Letters14
Frequency rank#56,208
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Heiligenschein“ im Deutschen

Die Häufigkeit läuft von den wenigen Alltagswörtern (links) bis zur langen, seltenen Schwanzseite (rechts).Heiligenscheinfällt in diesen Seltenheitsbereich:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Die Skala ist logarithmisch (jeder Tick ≈ 10× seltener). Seltene Nachbarn derselben Bandbreite: „heikles“ (#56,207), „Heimathafen“ (#56,209), „Helferin“ (#56,210). Unter 3,372 „H“-Lemmata liegt „Heiligenschein“ bei #56,208. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Heiligenschein is uncommon German at frequency #56,208 among 3,372 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈhaɪ̯lɪɡn̩ˌʃaɪ̯n]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Heiligenschein, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Heiligenschein, spelled H-E-I-L-I-G-E-N-S-C-H-E-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    strahlende (oft goldene) Scheibe, Ring oder Strahlenkranz um oder über dem Kopf eines Heiligen (auf religiösen Bildern) als Sinnbild ewigen Ruhmes
  2. 2
    übertragen: hohes Ansehen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Auf Bildern mit religiösen Motiven sind oft Heiligenscheine zu sehen.
  2. „Jemandem, der alles vergöttlicht, konnte diese Statue sehr leicht als Abbild unseres Erlösers erscheinen, denn der Bildhauer hatte den Kopf mit einer Art Heiligenschein umgeben, mit dem die Bildhauer und Maler die Heiligen darstellen.“

Synonyms

AureoleGlorieGlorienscheinGlorioleKoronaNimbus

This word in other languages

halo(English)aureola(Español)auréole(Français)

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 "Heiligenschein"?
"Heiligenschein" is spelled H-E-I-L-I-G-E-N-S-C-H-E-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈhaɪ̯lɪɡn̩ˌʃaɪ̯n].
What does "Heiligenschein" mean?
As a noun, "Heiligenschein" means: strahlende (oft goldene) Scheibe, Ring oder Strahlenkranz um oder über dem Kopf eines Heiligen (auf religiösen Bildern) als Sinnbild ewigen Ruhmes
How do you pronounce "Heiligenschein"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Heiligenschein" is [ˈhaɪ̯lɪɡn̩ˌʃaɪ̯n]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Heiligenschein" come from?
"Heiligenschein" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Heiligenschein", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 14 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Hinterbliebene#56,216Grenzübertritt#56,182gestalterische#56,166Gesprächsrunde#56,165

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list