herunterkratzen

[hɛˈʁʊntɐˌkʁat͡sn̩]

/[hɛˈʁʊntɐˌkʁat͡sn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“herunterkratzen” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - (etwas) mit den Fingernägeln oder einem scharfen Werkzeug von einer Oberfläche lösen, entfernen

Corpus desk

Index DE-herunterkratzen · herunterkratzen · German

herunterkratzen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for herunterkratzen
PropertyValue
Headwordherunterkratzen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[hɛˈʁʊntɐˌkʁat͡sn̩]
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „herunterkratzen“ im Deutschen

herunterkratzenliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

herunterkratzen is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [hɛˈʁʊntɐˌkʁat͡sn̩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "(etwas) mit den Fingernägeln oder einem scharfen Werkzeug von einer Oberfläche lösen, entfernen".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for herunterkratzen, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, 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 to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is herunterkratzen, spelled H-E-R-U-N-T-E-R-K-R-A-T-Z-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    (etwas) mit den Fingernägeln oder einem scharfen Werkzeug von einer Oberfläche lösen, entfernen

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. „Zwei Tage, erzählt der bald 65-Jährige, hätten er und seine Tochter gebraucht, um mit blutunterlaufenen Fingernägeln von seinem Mercedes der S-Klasse die elfenbeinfarbene Plastikhaut herunterzukratzen. Zum Vorschein kam das originale Silbermetallic.“

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "herunterkratzen"?
"herunterkratzen" is spelled H-E-R-U-N-T-E-R-K-R-A-T-Z-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [hɛˈʁʊntɐˌkʁat͡sn̩].
What does "herunterkratzen" mean?
As a verb, "herunterkratzen" means: (etwas) mit den Fingernägeln oder einem scharfen Werkzeug von einer Oberfläche lösen, entfernen
How do you pronounce "herunterkratzen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "herunterkratzen" is [hɛˈʁʊntɐˌkʁat͡sn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "herunterkratzen" come from?
"herunterkratzen" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list