Holzweg

[ˈhɔlt͡sˌveːk]

/[ˈhɔlt͡sˌveːk]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Holzweg” has 11 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #46,039. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,039
frequency rank, German
3,372
“H” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - ein Weg, der primär dem Abtransport von Holz dient und der häufig unvermittelt im Wald endet

Corpus desk

Index DE-holzweg · Holzweg · German

Holzweg · rank #46,039 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,039
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,372
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hoffmanns

Nearest frequency peer: Hoffmanns (-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.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „Holzweg“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „Holzweg“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Holzweg vs Hölzer
57% similar
Holzweg vs Holzes
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Holzweg
PropertyValue
HeadwordHolzweg
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈhɔlt͡sˌveːk]
Letters7
Frequency rank#46,039
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „Holzweg“

Diese Skala geht vom Kern des Alltagdeutschen (links) bis zum seltenen Langschwanz (rechts).Holzwegliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

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

Die Achse ist logarithmisch: jeder Tick markiert etwa zehnfach geringere Häufigkeit. Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „Hoffmanns“ (#46,038), „Honorare“ (#46,040), „Hochzeitsnacht“ (#46,037). Unter 3,372 „H“-Lemmata liegt „Holzweg“ bei #46,039. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around Holzweg (IPA [ˈhɔlt͡sˌveːk]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,039 among 3,372 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for Holzweg, with forms such as "hholzweg", "hlozweg", and "hollzweg". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Hölzer", "Holzes", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is Holzweg, spelled H-O-L-Z-W-E-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    ein Weg, der primär dem Abtransport von Holz dient und der häufig unvermittelt im Wald endet
  2. 2
    irrige oder falsche Vorstellung, die zu keinem Ziel oder in eine Sackgasse führt

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. „In Todtnauberg wurde das Gespräch fast stets auf längeren Spaziergängen fortgeführt, […]. So führte er mich einen Waldweg, der abnahm und mitten im Wald an einer Stelle aufhörte, wo aus dichtem Moos Wasser austrat. Ich sagte: „Der Weg hört auf.“ Er sah mich pfiffig an und sagte: „Das ist der Holzweg. Er führt zu den Quellen.““

This word in other languages

garden path(English)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hholzweg
  • hlozweg
  • hollzweg
  • holwzeg
  • holzewg
  • holzwegg
  • holzwge
  • holzwweg
  • holzzweg
  • hozlweg
  • ohlzweg

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Holzweg - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hholzweg1hlozweg2hollzweg1holwzeg2holzewg2holzwegg1holzwge2holzwweg1
Edit distance from "Holzweg"

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 "Holzweg"?
"Holzweg" is spelled H-O-L-Z-W-E-G. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈhɔlt͡sˌveːk].
What does "Holzweg" mean?
As a noun, "Holzweg" means: ein Weg, der primär dem Abtransport von Holz dient und der häufig unvermittelt im Wald endet
What words are commonly confused with "Holzweg"?
"Holzweg" is commonly confused with "Hölzer", "Holzes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Holzweg"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Holzweg" is [ˈhɔlt͡sˌveːk]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Holzweg" come from?
"Holzweg" 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 "Holzweg", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

herzlos#46,028Jamaica#46,051haltlos#46,014Kitzler#46,072

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Honorare11 variantsHoffmanns11 variantsHotelier11 variantsHallstatt11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list