herunterfahren

[hɛˈʁʊntɐˌfaːʁən]

/[hɛˈʁʊntɐˌfaːʁən]/ verb

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

The verdict

“herunterfahren” is uncommon German (frequency #64,351 among 59,066 “H” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,351
frequency rank, German
59,066
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - von dort/hier oben nach hier/dort unten fahren

Key facts for herunterfahren
PropertyValue
Headwordherunterfahren
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[hɛˈʁʊntɐˌfaːʁən]
Letters14
Frequency rank#64,351
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “herunterfahren” 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). herunterfahren lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

herunterfahren is uncommon German at frequency #64,351 among 59,066 “H” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [hɛˈʁʊntɐˌfaːʁən]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

herunterfahren has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is herunterfahren, spelled H-E-R-U-N-T-E-R-F-A-H-R-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    von dort/hier oben nach hier/dort unten fahren
  2. 2
    ein in Betrieb/im Lauf/in Gang befindliches, technisches System nach einem bestimmten Verfahren/Algorithmus zum Abschluss/Stillstand bringen/ausschalten
  3. 3
    stetig herabmindern

Synonyms

abfahrenabwärtsfahrenhinabfahrenhinunterfahrenabschaltenanhaltenausschaltenmindernreduzieren

Antonyms

herauffahrenhinauffahrenhochfahrenstartenhochfahrenpushen

This word in other languages

shut down(English)apagar(Español)descendre(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 "herunterfahren"?
"herunterfahren" is spelled H-E-R-U-N-T-E-R-F-A-H-R-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [hɛˈʁʊntɐˌfaːʁən].
What does "herunterfahren" mean?
As a verb, "herunterfahren" means: von dort/hier oben nach hier/dort unten fahren
How do you pronounce "herunterfahren"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "herunterfahren" is [hɛˈʁʊntɐˌfaːʁən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "herunterfahren" come from?
"herunterfahren" 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.

Using “herunterfahren”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is H-E-R-U-N-T-E-R-F-A-H-R-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [hɛˈʁʊntɐˌfaːʁən] (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

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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