Herkunft
[ˈheːɐ̯ˌkʊnft]
The verdict
“Herkunft” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #2,723 in German word frequency and used as a noun.
- #2,723
- frequency rank, German
- 8
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - woher etwas oder jemand kommt
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Herkunft |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [ˈheːɐ̯ˌkʊnft] |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #2,723 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Herkunft” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for Herkunft is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈheːɐ̯ˌkʊnft]. Corpus data places it at rank #2,723 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for Herkunft, with forms such as "ehrkunft", "hekrunft", and "herkkunft". 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. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is Herkunft, spelled H-E-R-K-U-N-F-T.
Definition
- 1woher etwas oder jemand kommt
- 2woher jemandes Familie stammt
- 3Ursprung eines Wortes
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ehrkunft,hekrunft,herkkunft,herknuft,herkufnt,herkunfft,herkunftt,herkunnft,herkuntf,herrkunft,heruknft,hherkunft,hrekunft
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Herkunft - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "Herkunft"?
What does "Herkunft" mean?
What are common misspellings of "Herkunft"?
How do you pronounce "Herkunft"?
What language does "Herkunft" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Herkunft”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is H-E-R-K-U-N-F-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈheːɐ̯ˌkʊnft] (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.